A Street Management Framework for Lower Manhattan in New York City

Abstract

Lower Manhattan (LM) is America's fourth-largest central business district and one of the oldest and densest areas in New York City. It is also New York City's fastest-growing residential neighborhood and contains some of the highest levels of pedestrian, transit, and vehicular activity in America. Since September 11, 2001, redevelopment has dramatically transformed the area into a vibrant 24/7 live–work–visit community. The changes present an unprecedented opportunity to create a more livable and environmentally sustainable neighborhood by reducing traffic and managing parking while giving residents and employees better, greener mobility options. Consequently, the city is focused on finding new ways to manage competing demands for different uses of limited street space. Improving street management is paramount to improving the quality of public space and speeding LM's revitalization. In 2004, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation funded the New York City Economic Development Corporation and the New York City Department of Transportation to contract Arup to undertake a multi-year comprehensive planning study to consider ways to reduce traffic congestion, manage placard parking, and create complete streets and engaging public spaces in LM. This paper discusses the necessity for and development of a proposed street management framework to help guide the city in meeting the transportation and public realm needs of LM's residents, employees, tourists, and businesses. As of October 2008, the project is ongoing; the proposed framework is still conceptual and has not yet been implemented.

The effective use of excess capacity for low carbon urban transport futures

“…Lower Manhattan is expanding, both in terms of business and commercial property and numbers of residential properties, and the transport infrastructure needs to meet the associated increases in demand. Investments in transit are expected to support large amounts of this increased travellers, in addition to changes in how the streets are used to facilitate pedestrians using the local area Lethco, Davis [35]. This shows how the strategy of complete streets is incorporated into planning for increased users of transport in this part of New York City.…”

“…A study exploring the streets of Lower Manhattan in New York City found that there are a number of ways to assess the streets within a management framework, but understanding how the streets can best support the range of users is important, particularly for this area Lethco, Davis [35]. Lower Manhattan is expanding, both in terms of business and commercial property and numbers of residential properties, and the transport infrastructure needs to meet the associated increases in demand.…”