Pedestrian Plazas and Street Closures All the Rage in SF & NY

Two new urban planning documents in two major American cities -- our own and New York City -- are being released this week that reflect a growing a trend toward creating pedestrian-friendly environments and pushing private automobiles out of downtown congestion. A San Francisco Transportation Authority study released yesterday recommends phasing in an all-out ban of auto traffic on Market Street east of Van Ness, beginning by forcing motorists to turn right onto Eighth Street off of Market and outlawing left turns off of Hyde (the full ban, they're saying, is "shelved" for now). SFist previously noted the pilot-program street closure and temporary plaza at Castro and 17th Street, which we didn't think would move forward quite as quickly as it has.