So far in my research, I’ve mostly relied on reports of the Open Streets program by big and small media outlets that have a focus on urban issues, such as The New York Times, Gothamist, Grubstreet, StreetsblogNYC, and City Limits. Another valuable resource is the Open Streets Progress Report published by Transportation Alternatives, an organization born out of a protest against automobiles in early 70s Manhattan. Today, the non-profit organization produces original research on the design, planning and policies of the streets of New York City. The comprehensive report, however, was published nearly a year ago, and much has changed since then. Notably, The New York Times recently published an article that documented the daily responsibilities of an Open Streets operative, which provided an interesting new angle to the issue.
Since the program is a unique product of the Covid-19 pandemic and does not have any precedent, there isn’t an established body of research literature on this topic. My research, however, is undoubtedly based on the existing lexicon of literature on cities and public places—from Mitchell Duneier’s ethnographic work Sidewalk, which is one of the few (that I know of) that gives serious consideration to streets as a kind of public spaces, to Sharon Zukin’s examination of claims to neighborhood spaces and identity in Naked City: the Death and Life of Authentic Urban Places.
In the coming weeks, I think a valuable next step for my project could be to conduct interviews with those affiliated with the Open Streets program in various ways. The aforementioned Open Streets program operative that was featured in The New York Times could be an interesting person to talk to, for instance. (A message from me is currently sitting in his inbox—fingers crossed for a response!) As a part of my ethnographic exercise, I also want to interview select business owners and residents who live near an Open Street, and whose day-to-day lives are affected by it in any way. Per Conor’s suggestion, I am also in the process of looking into attending community board meetings in the areas I’m interested in studying. More details to follow in the next week or two!
Sounds like you’ve found some great potential sources. One additional thought that comes to my mind is considering international sources as there definitely might be some lessons to be learned from places like Barcelona (Super Blocks) where they have even more experience experimenting with programs similar to Open Streets.