OPENPLANS INC

AT OPEN PLANS ADVOCACY, WE CONTINUED OUR EFFORTS TO ENGAGE AND EMPOWER COMMUNITIES WITH THE TOOLS TO MAKE THEIR STREETS MORE VIBRANT, FUNCTIONAL AND SAFE. THIS WORK INCLUDED PRESENTATIONS TO OVER 30 COMMUNITY BOARDS AND LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF DAYLIGHTING THE PRACTICE OF PREVENTING PARKING WITHIN 20 FEET OF AN INTERSECTION TO IMPROVE VISIBILITY AND SAFETY. THROUGH OUR SUPPORT AND ADVOCACY TO DATE, 22 COMMUNITY BOARDS REPRESENTING OVER THREE MILLION NEW YORKERS HAVE PASSED RESOLUTIONS IN SUPPORT OF DAYLIGHTING. WE ALSO SOLICITED LETTERS OF SUPPORT FOR DAYLIGHTING FROM NUMEROUS ELECTED OFFICIALS AND LED AN ORGANIZATIONAL SIGN-ON LETTER WITH 100'S OF SIGN-ONS. OUR SCHOOLS PLANNER HELPED OVER 25 SCHOOLS APPLY (AND REAPPLY) FOR THE SCHOOL STREETS PROGRAM, BRINGING OUTDOOR EDUCATION AND SPACE FOR RECESS AND GYM CLASS TO THESE SCHOOLS ACROSS THE CITY. WE ALSO CONTINUED HELPING NEW YORKERS UNDERSTAND HOW AND WHY TO APPLY TO THEIR COMMUNITY BOARDS AND, ONCE ON THEIR BOARDS, WE SUPPORTED MEMBERS BY CONNECTING THEM WITH ONE ANOTHER AND WITH THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO FEEL EMPOWERED, SUPPORTED AND SUCCESSFUL. ON THE POLICY SIDE, OPEN PLANS ADVOCACY LED ON MANY EFFORTS RELATED TO OUR MISSION. FIRST, WE WERE THE LEAD TRANSPORTATION ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION SUPPORTING THE CITY'S EFFORTS TO ELIMINATE PARKING MANDATES THE OUTDATED CODE THAT REQUIRED DEVELOPERS TO BUILD PARKING SPACES IN NEW CONSTRUCTION, WHETHER PARKING WAS NEEDED OR NOT. THE CITY OF YES WAS A ZONING TEXT AMENDMENT INTENDED TO OPEN THE PATH FOR MORE HOUSING IN THE CITY AND A VITAL PART OF THAT AMENDMENT INCLUDED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN PARKING MANDATES FOR A VAST SWATH OF THE CITY. OPEN PLANS ORGANIZED, CANVASSED AND PHONE BANKED AND ULTIMATELY HAD MORE THAN 100 ADVOCATES SPEAK IN PERSON AT THE CITY COUNCIL HEARING AND OVER 200 PEOPLE SUBMIT WRITTEN TESTIMONY. OPEN PLANS ALSO MOBILIZED AGAINST GOVERNOR HOCHUL'S CONGESTION PRICING PAUSE BY LEADING, JOINING AND ORGANIZING RALLIES, LETTERS OF SUPPORT AND EDITORIALS STRESSING THE IMPORTANCE OF STARTING THE CONGESTION CHARGE IMMEDIATELY. ULTIMATELY, THE CONGESTION PRICING CAMERAS WERE TURNED ON ABOUT SEVEN MONTHS LATE AND HAVE ALREADY PROVEN A HUGE SUCCESS FOR REDUCING CONGESTION IN THE CONGESTION RELIEF ZONE, REDUCING NOISE POLLUTION AND RAISING FUNDS FOR THE METRO TRANSIT AUTHORITY. OPEN PLANS SOUNDED THE ALARM BELLS AROUND CITY COUNCIL'S OUTDOOR DINING LEGISLATION THAT MANDATED A SEASONAL PROGRAM, LEADING TO WHAT WE ARE NOW SEEING AS A PRECIPITOUS DROP IN RESTAURANT PARTICIPATION, LOST TAX REVENUES AND A REDUCTION IN STREET VIBRANCY. STREETSBLOGNY CONTINUED THEIR COVERAGE OF THE CITY'S PLACARD CLASS, ESPECIALLY LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES WHO COVER OR DEFACE THEIR PLATES. AFTER A YEAR IN THE MEDIA SPOTLIGHT, STREETSBLOG'S EDITOR WAS FEATURED ON "THE DAILY SHOW AND "THIS AMERICAN LIFE" FOR THIS WORK. STREETSBLOG'S GHOST TAG SERIES WON NUMEROUS AWARDS FOR SHEDDING LIGHT ON THE BLACK MARKET FOR FRAUDULENT TEMPORARY TAGS. STREETSBLOG HELD A CONSTANT LIGHT TO THE CITY'S WILLFUL IGNORING REQUIREMENTS TO BUILD BUS AND BIKE LANES UNDER THE CITY'S STREETS PLAN LAW. AND, WHEN GOVERNOR HOCHUL PAUSED CONGESTION PRICING, STREETSBLOG JUMPED INTO ACTION, WRITING OVER 500 POSTS ON THE PAUSE AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE MTA, CONGESTION, AND PUBLIC TRUST IN THE LAW. STREETFILMS CONTINUED CREATING CONTENT THAT IS VISUALLY INSPIRING WHILE STILL BEING EDUCATIONAL. FILMS THIS YEAR INCLUDED FOOTAGE FROM TRIPS TO PARIS, STOCKHOLM AND GHENT INCLUDING BEAUTIFUL AND INNOVATIVE SCHOOL STREETS DESIGNS. OTHER FILMS FOCUSED ON SUPPORT FOR DAYLIGHTING, CROSSTOWN BIKE LANES, NYC SCHOOL STREETS, OUTDOOR DINING AND A NUMBER OF FILMS SHOWCASING BEFORE AND AFTER FOOTAGE FROM OVER 20 YEARS OF FILMING NEW YORK CITY STREET TRANSFORMATIONS.