A Streetsblog New York City post published early Wednesday claims Mayor Zohran Mamdani is set to order the Department of Transportation to shut down dozens of Queens intersections and transform them into car-free, Rome-style “piazzas.” The first batch, the site says, would land squarely in the districts of Councilmembers Vickie Paladino and Joann Ariola. In the telling, curbside parking and travel lanes would be ripped out for seating, trees and public art, with cars held at bay by planters, bollards and even statues. City Hall, however, had not yet posted any matching announcement on its official news pages.
The April 1 Streetsblog post, cheekily headlined “PLAZA SWEET,” describes DOT zeroing in on especially large intersections with a history of reckless driving and noise and refashioning them into pedestrian-first plazas. According to the outlet, concrete now given over to parking and traffic lanes would be reprogrammed as safe public space, with several Queens neighborhoods listed as early candidates for the makeover.
Streetsblog also quotes a statement it attributes to Mamdani, praising how “Italian cities are such a pleasure to visit” and arguing that European-style public spaces let people “stroll, have a cup of coffee or just read.” The post adds that some of the imagined piazzas could feature statues — everyone from Frederick Douglass to Leonardo da Vinci to Julius Caesar — doing double duty as public art and physical barriers to keep drivers out.
How DOT Builds Plazas
Whatever happens with Mamdani’s alleged piazza push, NYC DOT already runs a long-standing plaza program that turns underused curb and roadway into pedestrian plazas in partnership with local organizations. Those official plazas can include seating, greenery, public art and year-round programming, all pitched as a way to improve safety and create open space by taking asphalt away from cars and handing it to people on foot. The agency documents that approach on its plaza program pages at NYC DOT.
Politics And Pushback
If the first wave really did land in Paladino’s and Ariola’s districts, the politics would heat up fast. Councilmember Vickie Paladino has already publicly tangled with DOT over waterfront greenway plans and drew criticism after a particularly tense community workshop, as reported by Gothamist.
Joann Ariola occupies a different lane in Queens politics, with local coverage noting her prominent role in Italian American civic circles. Reporting on City Council leadership shifts also shows the Council’s Italian Caucus naming new co-chairs this spring; the entry on Frank Morano notes that he was elected co-chair alongside Ariola, according to Wikipedia.
What Comes Next
The Streetsblog piece dropped on April 1 and is laced with playful language consistent with April Fools’ Day publishing, which makes it tricky to read as either a straight scoop or an elaborate wink. Joke or not, it has put a spotlight on what a sweeping, symbolic DOT move could look like — and exactly whose backyards would feel it first.
As of Wednesday morning, neither the Mayor’s Office news feed nor DOT press releases showed any matching citywide piazza rollout, and spokespeople had not issued separate confirmations to local outlets, according to the Mayor's Office.
