AS SUMMER ENTERS FULL SWING, NEW YORK CITY BUILDS “COOL STREETS” ONTO NATION-LEADING OPEN STREETS PROGRAM

Cool It! NYC program will expand cooling options on existing Open Streets with tree-based shade and hydrants, focusing on heat-burdened communities

  Mayor Bill de Blasio today unveiled the first set of “Cool Streets” for this summer, announcing expanded cooling options on existing Open Streets in the most heat-burdened parts of New York City. The Cool It! NYC program prioritizes new cooling options on blocks in vulnerable neighborhoods with the highest tree-based shade and fire hydrants with spray caps. During heat advisories, NYCDEP and FDNY will proactively install spray caps on these streets’ hydrants to ensure every New Yorker living in a heat-burdened community is within 1/4 mile of an outdoor cooling element.

The Cool Streets initiative focuses on Open Streets in areas that rank highest on the Heat Vulnerability Index, which uses social and environmental factors to understand how heat-related health risks vary across NYC neighborhoods. The City is prioritizing its cooling efforts on HVI 4 and 5 zones, the most heat burdened communities, to serve vulnerable residents during extreme heat events. A citywide map of cooling elements can be found online at Cool It! NYC. To find the nearest cooling element or Cool Street, visit Cool It! NYC. DOT’s Open Streets map will also highlight each Cool Street across the city.

“New Yorkers are in for a long, hot summer, and staying cool is an essential part of physical health, mental health, and public safety,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We’re excited to build on our popular Open Streets program and find creative ways to fight back against COVID-19 by giving New Yorkers the public space they deserve.”

“Summer is very much here, and we need all of the tools at our disposal to keep New Yorkers safe and cool - especially during such unprecedented times," said Deputy Mayor Laura Anglin. "We have seen the success of our Open Streets program across the five boroughs, so it only made sense to find ways to utilize these streets with our broader cooling strategy. While we encourage New Yorkers to remain inside as much as possible during extreme heat events, these Cool Streets will give our most vulnerable New Yorkers a spot to stay cool outdoors when the city heats up."

Under the Cool It! NYC program, the City is activating 250 new cooling elements – in addition to the existing 950 – and proactively adding spray caps to 320 fire hydrants during hot weather. The City has already installed over 32,000 air conditioners for low-income seniors.

“We are taking every step to ensure our heat vulnerable neighborhoods will have sufficient outdoor options to Cool It! this summer. Cool Streets is another tool we can use to beat the heat, and I am proud our City agencies and partners have banded together to provide this necessary relief to New Yorkers, especially on the hottest days,” said NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Deanne Criswell.

“Running through the spray of a fire hydrant is a venerable New York City tradition and a sign that summer is in full swing,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “We are proud of the work we and our agency partners have done so far to create Open Streets and protected bike lanes across the five boroughs, and these new Cool Streets will make this program better, safer and more fun when the temperatures get high.”

“With the City’s new Cool Streets initiative, New Yorkers will have more opportunities than ever to stay cool safely this summer, taking advantage of brand new open streets and our city’s extensive tree canopy,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP. "The addition of these new Cool Streets, and our brand new Cool It! NYC map which highlights existing and new cooling features, provides residents even more new, innovative ways to stay cool and beat the heat this summer.”

Cool Streets include:

Manhattan

Neighborhood	Street	From	To
East Harlem	101st St	Park Ave	3rd Ave
Harlem	W. 117th St	Morningside Ave	5th Ave
Harlem	W. 138th St	Lenox Ave	Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd
Hamilton Heights	Edgecombe Ave	St. Nicholas Pl	W. 145th St

Brooklyn

Neighborhood	Street	From	To
New Lots	Blake Ave	Miller St	Hindsdale St
Boerum Hill	Wyckoff St	Nevins St	3rd Ave
Brownsville	Williams Ave	Liberty Ave	Atlantic Ave
Red Hook	Henry St	Lorraine St	Bay St
Ft. Greene	N Elliott Pl	Park Ave	Flushing Ave

Bronx

Neighborhood	Street	From	To
Morrisiana	Trinity Ave	E 166 St	E 161 St
Mott Haven	E 140th St	Brook Ave	Willis Ave
Mott Haven	Jackson Ave	E 143rd St	E 147th St

Queens

Neighborhood	Street	From	To
South Richmond Hill	120th St	Atlantic Ave	Liberty Ave
Sunnyside	39th Ave	Woodside Ave	Barnett Ave

 .

Mayor de Blasio announced 23 more miles of Open Streets – including 9 miles of new protected bike lanes – in late June, bringing the City’s nation-leading program to a citywide total of 67 miles.

Under Open Streets, pedestrians and cyclists are free to use the roadbed of each street. No through traffic is permitted, with remaining vehicle traffic limited to local deliveries, pick-ups/drop-offs, necessary city service, utility, and emergency vehicles only. Such drivers are alerted to be hyper-vigilant and to drive at 5 MPH along these routes. Open streets hours are from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM but may vary slightly depending on staff availability.

Organizations wishing to have other New York City streets considered for the Open Streets program should reach out to fill out an online survey. More information is available at nyc.gov/openstreets.