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.

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.