Living Streets Program plans to expand operations

In an effort to build community and address equity across the city, Austin’s Living Streets Program is working to reenvision local streets as spaces where residents can walk, bike, gather and connect.

Community members can apply by Oct. 4 for three different types of resident-led street activations: Neighborhood Block Parties, Healthy Streets and Play Streets.

At its Sept. 3 meeting, the Urban Transportation Commission heard plans from Matt Macioge, city of Austin Capital Improvement Program manager, to increase the number of Living Streets Program activation sites.

“The tighter our communities are, the more resilient,” Macioge said. “Residents feel safer.” 

The Living Streets Program was adopted by City Council on Oct. 21, 2021. Currently, the program has logged 17 activations since December 2023 and has plans to reach 36 total activations this year, with the capacity to service up to 72. 

Money for the program comes in part from the U.S. Department of Transportation through its Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) discretionary program, which funds regional, local and tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries. Austin’s program currently has a budget of $315,000 and will continue to apply for further grant funding.

Neighborhood Block Parties are designed to build community and connect neighbors. The parties are one-time closures of a single block for up to 24 hours to allow residents to hold small, locally focused events. This is a preexisting program managed by the city’s Transportation and Public Works Department. The city recently expanded the types of streets eligible for a block party permit, to increase accessibility to a broader range of residents. 

The Healthy Streets Program provides space for people to walk, bike, roll, exercise and build community within the public right of way by discouraging motor vehicle traffic. The city implemented an initial version of its Healthy Streets Program in response to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 to provide more outdoor space for people to use in a socially distanced environment. Today, through the city’s revamped, resident-led version of the Healthy Streets Program, community members have the opportunity to apply for a Healthy Street spanning 3-4 blocks on a local street in their neighborhood. Surveys that were sent out to all parcels within approximately one block of each activation show that 69 percent of residents support Healthy Streets.

Similarly, the city’s Play Streets Program provides space for children and adults alike to gather and play in a local street by allowing residents to partially close a single block to motor vehicle traffic for up to three days a week for 12 or fewer hours. This program harkens back to 1930s London, when residents envisioned local streets as a place for play and community interaction.

After applying and being selected for the Healthy Streets or Play Streets Program, residents receive partial street closure treatments and equipment like barricades and signs from the city that discourage motor vehicle traffic, though streets remain open to traffic from residents, deliveries and emergency response. Designated Living Streets Ambassadors who live on the block are responsible for implementing the Play Streets and setting up approved street closure treatments at the agreed-upon times. An adult monitor must always be stationed at the closures. This monitor can be an ambassador or another adult. Play Streets surveys show that 62 percent of residents support Play Streets.

To be eligible for the Healthy Streets and Play Streets programs, a street must be considered a “local road,” be approximately 25-40 feet wide, receive support from at least 60 percent of the households along the corridor and be classified as 90 percent or more residential. Streets with multifamily buildings will be considered on a case-by-case basis. If there is a school or place of worship on the block, they must approve the closure. Additionally, eligible streets must not connect directly to a major arterial road and affect a traffic signal or transit route.

With the Oct. 4 deadline approaching, applications for Neighborhood Block Parties and Healthy Streets or Play Streets programs can be completed online. There is a $50 sign-up fee. For more information, contact LivingStreets@AustinTexas.gov.

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