How does NYC’s Open Streets program work and which religious institutions have partnered with it?
Executive summary
New York City’s Open Streets program is a Department of Transportation (DOT)-run initiative that closes or limits vehicle access on selected corridors so community partners can steward public space for walking, dining, cultural programming, and play, with formal application, operational responsibilities, and city support; DOT has codified rules and funding streams and works with community-based groups, schools, businesses and cultural institutions to run more than 200 Open Streets citywide [1] [2]. The city explicitly invites religious organizations to participate as partners, but the reporting provided does not supply a compiled list of specific churches, synagogues, mosques, or temples that have formally partnered with DOT on Open Streets [3] [4].
1. How the program is organized: application, rules and partner roles
Open Streets is administered by NYC DOT through an annual application process that requires community partners to apply (or reapply using a streamlined form if returning), with applications subject to a minimum 90‑day review; DOT adopted rules in 2024 to codify eligibility, criteria, and the regulatory framework for operation and management [5] [4]. Once designated, Open Streets can operate up to 24 hours a day year‑round, but they are managed by local partners who must produce operational plans that coordinate safety, emergency access, deliveries, programming, and daily maintenance—responsibilities DOT supports but expects partners to carry out [4] [1] [6].
2. Who DOT partners with and what they do on the street
DOT’s stated partnership universe explicitly includes formal and informal community organizations, business improvement districts, non‑profits, schools (pre‑K through university), cultural groups and “other community institutions,” and DOT has been proactive in courting cultural organizations and schools as stewards of Open Streets programming [4] [7] [2]. Partners activate streets with a wide array of uses—outdoor dining, arts and cultural performances, recreation, outdoor learning, community cleanups and commercial uses to support local businesses—and DOT provides operational assistance, materials and, in many cases, city funding to under‑resourced partners via the Public Space Equity Program (PSEP) and related support [8] [6] [5].
3. How funding, equity and oversight factor in
DOT has allocated resources to expand public space supports in underserved “Priority Investment Areas,” and non‑profit community partners are eligible for city funding to assist operations and maintenance, while DOT continues to develop resources and operational guidance for partners [6] [7] [9]. At the same time, independent reviews have flagged challenges: partners must navigate substantial bureaucratic work to run Open Streets (permits, daily maintenance, programming logistics) and some oversight gaps leave community operators to handle conflict mediation and sustaining programming with uneven city backing [10].
4. Religious institutions: eligible, encouraged, but not listed in public partner rosters
City outreach materials and the Open Streets sign‑up language explicitly invite “religious organization[s]” to join the coalition of partners and note that any community institution tied to a neighborhood is eligible to apply, meaning churches, synagogues, mosques, and other faith groups are within the intended partner pool [3] [10]. However, the DOT press releases, program pages and partner lists provided in the reporting highlight block groups, cultural institutions, schools and named community organizations but do not present a consolidated public list of specific religious institutions that have formally partnered with the Open Streets program; the available source material therefore cannot confirm particular houses of worship as Open Streets partners [1] [2] [3].
5. What this implies and where to look next
Because DOT manages partner approval through an annual application and often highlights cultural and school partners in press outreach, the absence of an explicit roster in the provided material likely reflects reporting and publication choices rather than a prohibition on religious partners—faith groups can apply and are invited to do so [1] [7]. For definitive identification of specific religious institutions that have partnered on particular Open Streets, the DOT partner application records, borough commissioner offices, or local Open Streets partner pages (and local community coalition announcements) are the operative records to consult; those sources were not included in the provided reporting and thus cannot be cited here [5] [11].