1st Permanent School Street Gate Installed In Hudson Square

NEW YORK CITY — Open Plans and the New York City Department of Transportation celebrated the installation of New York City's first permanent School Street gate at City-As-School/M721 on Clarkson Street in Hudson Square.

NYC DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn joined students, school administrators and local partners, including the Hudson Square BID, for a ceremonial "first swing" marking the new road gate. Modeled after infrastructure used near schools in Paris, the gate is designed to create a safer street environment during outdoor school programming.

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Open Plans led the project's community engagement and design process and coordinated with partners and fabricators to build and install the gate. The initiative grew from more than a year of community engagement focused on creating a safer and more vibrant public space for students and the surrounding neighborhood.

Open Plans received a $100,000 Community Placemaking Grant from Project for Public Spaces in 2025, supported by General Motors, to help develop the Clarkson Street open street.

The project will also include a "Street Seat" with wooden benches and communal gardening space for students.