Open Streets initiatives temporarily close streets to automobile so that people may use them for healthy and fun physical activities like walking, jogging, biking and dancing. Today, there are more than 90 Open Streets initiatives in the United States and Canada.

People traffic replaces car traffic, and the streets become ‘paved parks’ where people of all ages, abilities, and social, economic, or ethnic backgrounds can come out and improve their mental, physical, and emotional health.

Gil Peñalosa, Executive Director of 8-80 Cities

Despite sharing a few basic features, Open Streets initiatives should not be confused with block parties, street fairs, or other such events. The core objectives are fundamentally different. Indeed, Open Streets are typically part of a broader city or organizational effort to encourage sustained physical activity, increase community engagement, and build support for the provision of broader transportation choices. These unique objectives distinguish Open Streets from other street-based efforts and help participants see and connect with their community in a whole new way.

Many North American Open Streets organizers draw inspiration from Central and South American cities, where such initiatives are often called “ciclovía.” The term, which translates to “bike path,” was coined in Bogotá, Colombia when the city rolled out its now famed Ciclovía in 1974. However, before there was Ciclovía in Bogotá, there was Seattle Bicycle Sundays, a car-free initiative connecting several parks along a 3-mile stretch of Lake Washington Boulevard. First launched in 1965, Bicycle Sundays predates Bogotá’s initiative by nearly a decade. Additionally, Seattle’s effort quickly inspired similar initiatives in the parks and parkways of New York City (1966), San Francisco (1967), and Ottawa (1970). All four of these early open street initiatives still take place today.

Open Streets are increasingly common in towns and cities seeking innovative ways to achieve public health, environmental, social, and economic goals. These initiatives:

• Encourage physical activity and allow participants to reimagine their communities as places to walk and bike for transportation

• Improve the air quality of cities by removing cars from the road
• Provide a novel type of public space that helps people meet and make social connections, thereby allowing individuals, community organizations, and political leaders to build relationships
• Bring thousands of people to frequent businesses and fuel local economies

There are several different prominent models for organizing an Open Streets initiative. Click here to learn more.