CAR-FREE STREETS ARE HERE TO STAY

During the COVID-19 pandemic, cities around the world closed down streets to cars and opened them up for people. Some of these experiments were so popular that they are here to stay. Here are four car-free streets that are still going strong or just getting started. [Blue Zones]

JFK PROMENADE IN SAN FRANCISCO TOPS OPEN SPACE LIST

Since its closure to vehicular traffic in April of 2020, the JFK Promenade in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park has seen 12.6 million visits, establishing it as San Francisco’s most frequented open space. Once on the city’s high injury network, the street has transformed into a vibrant hub for interactive art, cycling, walking, dancing and rolling. The pedestrian-friendly oasis has been enhanced with dozens of accessibility upgrades, as well as a free shuttle, public pianos, seating areas, lawn games and live music. [From the SF Rec and Park Department]

THE DECLINE OF SANTA MONICA’S THIRD STREET PROMENADE

“The promenade went through a period where there were many, many mom-and-pop [businesses],” says Andrew Thomas, the CEO of the nonprofit Downtown Santa Monica. “And then as it grew in popularity and became more and more desirable, the national [chains] came in and pushed out a lot of those mom-and-pops.” The displacement of small businesses telegraphed a major problem that continues to vex the Third Street Promenade today: staggeringly high rental prices. [SFGate]