Whose Streets? Open, but Maybe Not Yours
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This article implies more than it says. But what it does say—and how we interpret it in a larger context—is telling, and deeply important.
A Cornell planning professor summarizes a spatial analysis of pandemic-era “Open Streets” initiatives—efforts to close streets to motorists so pedestrians could gather outdoors in comfort. In practice, this often meant café seating, eating, and drinking in predominantly white, high-income neighborhoods. 🍽️
The analysis confirms what many of us suspected: Open Streets were overwhelmingly implemented in “amenity-rich” environments.
🚲 For decades, prioritizing space for pedestrians, cyclists, scooter-users, and other non-drivers has been a major goal of urban and transportation planning. During the pandemic, eliminating cars from these streets was celebrated as a major win.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: these initiatives mostly added another amenity to places that already had many advantages. Meanwhile, pedestrian and bicyclist deaths continued to rise throughout the pandemic—including among people who don’t have the luxury of choosing whether or not to drive. ⚠️
✊🏽 At the same time, these Open Streets efforts unfolded during the era of the George Floyd protests, when public use of streets in non-white communities was often far more aggressively policed. In some cases, Black residents were chased off stoops and porches—places where people have gathered for generations.
The planning profession is beginning to reckon with its historic elitism, and I applaud leaders who are sincerely working to infuse equity into this work. But we must also be honest—and dissatisfied—with how shallow our progress has been so far.
🌱 Open Streets, as currently implemented, are an amenity for the privileged—not a solution to what’s actually needed.
Just because something is pretty doesn’t mean it’s anywhere near enough.
Equity and full inclusion aren’t “nice to have.” They are essential to future-ready communities. Creativity and innovation—across every aspect of community life—will determine whether we thrive or fail. And that means we need all the brains, lived experiences, and diverse perspectives we can get to build what comes next.
📚 To explore this connection more deeply, check out The Local Economy Revolution Has Arrived and First Principles of the LER.
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🚀 The future isn’t just arriving—it’s being designed. The question is: who gets included?
