‘NoMad Piazza Pop Up” Returns to the Broadway Roadbed April 1
Mar 31, 2022
– Popular car-free space, part of the NYC Department of Transportation’s Broadway Vision Plan, debuted for six weeks in 2022, spurring increased foot traffic and economic activity –
(New York, N.Y.) – Today the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership announced it will reinstall NoMad Piazza Pop Up to open on April 1. The popular public space first debuted from October 1 through November 14, 2021, on the Broadway roadbed between 25th and 27th Streets, creating a dynamic space for pedestrians, bicyclists, and people enjoying NoMad’s thriving outdoor dining. The Piazza will feature more public seating than it had last fall, along with tables, trees, planters, and granite blocks forming the pedestrian intersection entrances. Non-emergency motor vehicle traffic will be prohibited.
NoMad Piazza Pop Up was designed in collaboration between the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership, the American Institute of Architects, New York (AIANY), and the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT), building on the success of DOT’s Open Streets program, including the Open Streets in Flatiron and NoMad that the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership has managed since May 2020. The Piazza is part of DOT’s Broadway Vision plan to increase public space, create safer bike lanes and pedestrian seating areas, add greenery, and calm traffic from Union Square to Columbus Circle.
“We are thrilled to bring NoMad Piazza Pop Up back to Broadway in time for spring. Last fall, this serene public space in the heart of NoMad was a hit with residents, visitors, and local businesses. Starting in April, it will once again provide a model for how our city’s streets can be reimagined as vibrant public spaces for walking, cycling, dining, and relaxing,” said James Mettham, Executive Director of the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership.
The Piazza will again complement outdoor dining on and around these two blocks of Broadway where La Pecora Bianca, The Smith, Num Pang, Tortazo, and wagamama offer al fresco dining under DOT’s Open Restaurants program. Additionally, Anita Gelato will open a new location at 1141 Broadway this spring and plans to utilize space on the Piazza.
During the Piazza’s initial activation in 2021, the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership conducted a public survey accessible by QR codes on signage throughout the space. Eighty-nine percent of respondents said they love the Piazza and want it to return permanently.
The 2021 activation also spurred economic activity, supporting the area’s resilience during the second year of the COVID pandemic. Foot traffic in October 2021 exceeded pre-pandemic levels from October 2019. One-third of Broadway businesses responding to the Partnership’s stakeholder survey saw increased revenues—and none reported lost revenue—during the activation. Seventeen new businesses opened or signed leases on Broadway from 25th to 30th Streets in 2021, with 50% opening during or immediately following the Piazza’s initial activation period. Some noted that the Piazza was an important consideration when deciding to lease Broadway property.
The Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership will manage the space with services including cleaning, maintenance, and public safety. The Partnership is working with neighborhood businesses and cultural institutions to provide light public programming on the Piazza this spring, starting with a ping pong event with SPIN on World Table Tennis Day (April 6) from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM, featuring open play and pro-level exhibitions.
NoMad Piazza Pop Up reflects the Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership’s long-term vision of a pedestrian-focused Broadway corridor through Flatiron and NoMad, which has also included the construction of the Flatiron Public Plazas in 2009; Manhattan’s first full-time Shared Street, from 24th to 25th Street, which was unveiled in 2017; and the Flatiron Slow Street project, which recently transformed Broadway between 21st Street and 23rd Street into a more people-friendly corridor last year.
