Do you feel connected to the people in your community? Does your town offer public spaces for people to meet and hang out? Do you wish it had more?
In “Stoops for New York’s Open Streets,” Winnie Hu writes about New York City’s bold plan to create more public spaces and deepen community bonds:
Stoops for New York’s Open Streets
Winnie Hu📍 Reporting from Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Stoops for New York’s Open Streets
Winnie Hu📍 Reporting from Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Hiram Durán for The New York Times
During Covid, the city closed more streets to cars. Now, the architect and designer David Rockwell has devised a way for visitors to sit and stay a while: stoops. Here’s a first look →
Stoops for New York’s Open Streets
Winnie Hu📍 Reporting from Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Hiram Durán for The New York Times
I stopped by Arcana, a studio in Brooklyn, where the stoops for Open Streets are being made. “I think New Yorkers love stoops,” Mr. Rockwell told me. “It’s a place where you can observe the theater of everyday life.”
Stoops for New York’s Open Streets
Winnie Hu📍 Reporting from Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Hiram Durán for The New York Times
The city’s Open Streets program has spread to 158 locations in all five boroughs, covering more than 300 blocks. There are 21 new traffic-free streets this year, including this one on North 15th Street in Brooklyn.
Stoops for New York’s Open Streets
Winnie Hu📍 Reporting from Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Hiram Durán for The New York Times
Here’s a stoop prototype. It’s made of galvanized steel and has three levels of extra-wide steps “for sitting on, playing on and defining a space,” said Mr. Rockwell, whose firm is splitting the cost with the Transportation Dept.
Stoops for New York’s Open Streets
Winnie Hu📍 Reporting from Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Hiram Durán for The New York Times
Underneath the stoop is storage for eight cubes that can be brought out for additional seating, as well as for folding chairs, tables and equipment. An entire stoop can fit into a parking spot.
Stoops for New York’s Open Streets
Winnie Hu📍 Reporting from Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Hiram Durán for The New York Times
Jim Burke, a volunteer with the 34th Avenue Open Street in Jackson Heights, Queens, is looking forward to the storage option. “Half of my apartment is full of chalk, yoga mats and jump ropes,” he told me.
Stoops for New York’s Open Streets
Winnie Hu📍 Reporting from Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Hiram Durán for The New York Times
Mr. Burke is in luck: On May 24, the first two stoops, made for about $55,000, will go up on 34th Avenue. Mr. Rockwell’s firm is looking to raise money to donate stoops to Open Streets in the other boroughs.
Read more about Open Streets.
See What Happens When N.Y.C. Streets Are Full of People Instead of CarsSee What Happens When N.Y.C. Streets Are Full of People Instead of Cars
How an ‘Open Streets’ Operative Spends His SundaysHow an ‘Open Streets’ Operative Spends His Sundays
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Students, scroll through and read the entire article, then tell us:
What is your reaction to the Open Streets program’s goal to create stoops for visitors “to sit and stay awhile”? Would you want your community to adopt a similar plan? Why or why not?
“I think New Yorkers love stoops,” said David Rockwell, who devised the new stoops for the program. “It’s a place where you can observe the theater of everyday life.” Where do those in your community gather to hang out or people-watch? Do you have any memorable experiences in these places?
Does your community have many public spaces? How inviting are they? Do you use them often?
Now it’s your turn: Propose an idea — big or small, practical or wildly imaginative — to bring your community’s residents closer together!
Want more writing prompts? You can find all of our questions in our Student Opinion column. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate them into your classroom.
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.