Have you ever thought about just how much room we give up to cars? Approximately one-third of the land in America’s urban centers is eaten up by parking, and that’s not even counting the vehicles being actively driven. Not only are these gasoline-guzzling machines warming our planet and dirtying our air, they’re hogging precious urban space.
Philadelphia, already declared the country’s most walkable city two years in a row, has a plan to push back called Open Streets: West Walnut. Four Sundays this past September, seven blocks in Rittenhouse Square were closed off to traffic between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., leaving them free for pedestrians to wander (and spend money!) wherever they pleased. There was live music, storytime, yoga, bubbles and many, many business and restaurant promotions.
The best part: It’s returning to Rittenhouse two Sundays in December (the 8th and 15th), so look forward to lots of hot chocolate and holiday-themed performances!
Open Streets wasn’t the city’s first dive into reclaiming streets for recreation. “Open Streets: West Walnut was inspired by MLK Drive,” explains Katari Gupta, president and CEO of Center City District. “It makes you wonder if other streets in the city could make sense for that sort of flexibility and adaptability.”
Since 1995, MLK drive has been car-free on weekends in the warmer months. During COVID-19, it was closed off to traffic completely, seeing a 1,300% increase in trail usage. Some, like the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, have pushed to keep it just for biker and pedestrian use.
If you were in Philly during the Pope’s visit in 2015, you might remember how Center City was closed off, creating a respite for biking and general roaming around. Though we can’t exactly have Pope Francis stop over every year, city leaders sought to recreate that freedom in the years following with the Philly Free Streets Program (complete with Mayor Kenney-led power walks!).
Gupta also points to the influence of “the vibrant pedestrian-focused experiences common across Latin America and Europe.” Indeed, American visitors to European and South American cities are often taken aback by the many thousands of steps added to their days: streets are narrower, sidewalks are wider, bikes and pedestrians outnumber cars, and all create a charming, people-forward atmosphere.
Bogotá, Colombia is the birthplace of Ciclovía, where streets are shut down for walking and cycling every Sunday since the 1970s and has often been the main inspiration behind street closures in the US. Somewhat ironically, Jaime Ortiz Mariño, the architect behind Ciclovía, credits his education at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio as motivation to resist the sprawling urbanization dominant in American cities.
Back to Philly, the Open Streets pilot was declared a success, with CCD specifically citing the economic impact that increased foot traffic had on businesses along the strip. According to surveys, 90% of businesses had an increase in storefront visitors, averaging an 86% increase but going up to 300%. In total, it’s estimated that more than 47,000 pedestrians strutted down Walnut over the month, a 36% increase in pedestrian traffic compared to typical Rittenhouse Sundays.
It’s clear that programs like this could be the key to reinvigorating downtowns and business districts, but what about residential neighborhoods? Philadelphians have long had an answer for this: the block party.
Unlike district or city-wide programs like Open Streets, block parties are smaller-scaled and more intimate ways to build community and bring neighbors together.
“The only financial costs are the permit, hot dogs, and cider for Halloween,” says Naomi Segal of Regent Square. With voluntary donations from willing residents (or occasional yard sales and auctions), they’re able to feed over 300 kids and families for free. “We're [also] big potluckers on Regent Square. Two times a year, for breakfast and dinner. The street[‘s] closed all day, [with] chairs and tables set-up in the middle … It brings community together, gives people a gentle time to hang out, talk, [and] meet each other.”
Strolling around West Philly on a nice day, you’ve probably glimpsed them: kids running around, tables covered in food, and a general vibe of neighborliness. The benefits are more than just a fun day outside: building relationships with those who live around us is important for our social and mental wellbeing.
However despite these positive aspects, block parties are on the decline. Back in 2008, the city approved 7,679 permit applications (not to mention the gatherings that happen without official permission). In 2019, that number had dropped to 3,506 and to 2,284 last year.
What’s behind this? One reason is that people are simply applying for less permits. You could chalk this up to the post-pandemic state of social gatherings, the societal emphasis on individualism over community, or any number of things. But there’s something else holding us back: many of the permits that do make it to city desks are being denied.
Some of these might be fair (the 2400 block of Cedar was banned from getting permits in 2016 after throwing an illegal dumpster-pool block party using fire hydrant water), but the majority of shut-downs are attributed to crime and gun violence. And the blocks being denied permits are most often in majority-Black neighborhoods in West and North Philly.
Even annual events that have been happening for decades are suddenly being refused, and larger events like concerts are being cancelled in these areas. While the safety of attendees is obviously an important issue, many argue that simply not allowing events to occur isn’t the answer. Neighbors still need to gather, and it’s been proven that community engagement and support is essential to combating violence.
As any disciple of Jane Jacobs will tell you, it’s the voluntary systems of neighborhood watch, done by the neighbors for the neighbors, that really maintain the public peace. And neighbors who don’t know each other, who haven’t shared hot dogs and apple cider on a sunny afternoon, are less likely to cultivate this network of protection.
Whatever form it takes, it’s clear that Philadelphians (and probably most Americans) yearn for walkability and community, for prioritizing the casual pedestrian and the neighbor over the vehicle, and our use of the city should reflect that. All that space we currently use for the chaos that is Philly driving has so much potential as a place for walking, cycling, shopping, and reconnecting with each other and our city.
