'Open streets' now on the web

The Alliance for Biking & Walking and the Street Plans Collaborative have established a website, OpenStreetsProject.org, to showcase “open streets” initiatives throughout North America. “Open streets” initiatives involve temporarily closing streets to automobiles so that residents can walk, bike, skate, dance, and generally use the pavement in creative and active ways.

More than 70 open-streets initiatives have been documented in the US and Canada, and interest in these programs is growing. The Alliance and Street Plans have also compiled a 173-page Open Streets Guide, which includes 67 case studies organized according to seven common models — those of Seattle, Cleveland, San Francisco, New York, Winnipeg, Savannah, and Kentucky.