Dine NYC, Cars, and the Future of Our Streets: a Generational War for the Soul of Urban Life

New York City’s streets are in the throes of an identity crisis that’s as palpable as the smell of hot dogs from a street vendor on a summer day. On one side, we have cars (predominantly SOV's)—the once glorified symbols of freedom, now the bane of our urban existence, clogging streets and polluting the air. On the other, small businesses are desperately trying to breathe life back into our neighborhoods, using outdoor dining as their lifeline. But this battle isn’t just about cars and cafés; it’s about a generational shift reshaping the very essence of city life.

Bureaucracy, Business, and the Baloney of Dine NYC

Let’s start with the city’s Dine NYC program —an initiative that, in theory, was supposed to be the wind beneath the wings of small businesses during the pandemic. Instead, it’s turned into a bureaucratic nightmare. Imagine trying to solve a Rubik’s cube while blindfolded, underwater, and being yelled at by a meter maid. That’s what it feels like for small business owners trying to navigate this maze of regulations. What was once a symbol of resilience and community spirit is now a tangled web of paperwork that only the big players and "chain" gangs can afford to navigate.

The city’s approach to outdoor dining regulations isn’t just a burden on small businesses—it’s a colossal missed opportunity. Instead of strangling the very businesses that keep our neighborhoods alive, why not make it easier for them? What if we took the pandemic’s spirit of adaptability and turned it into a model for the future? What if, instead of crushing creativity with blanket rules, we allowed neighborhoods to tailor their streetscapes to their unique vibes?

SOVs and Luxury Cars—The True Villains of the Story

Let’s cut the BS: cars are the real villains here. They hog our streets, dirty our air, and turn outdoor dining into a game of “'dodge the exhaust fumes', 'duck the backfire', and 'name that tune.'" But the true cost of our car addiction is more than just a headache and PTSD for pedestrians—it's an economic and environmental catastrophe.

According to the NYC Department of Transportation, motor vehicle crashes cost the city over $15.246 billion annually in healthcare, lost productivity, and emergency services. And let’s not forget that transportation accounts for nearly 47% of the state's greenhouse gas emissions, with cars being the primary offenders. But wait, there’s more—the human toll is staggering. An average of 292 traffic-related deaths each year in New York City, with thousands more injured. These aren't just statistics; they're a human tragedy, one that plays out every single day on our streets. It’s a public health crisis masquerading as a transportation issue. Is NYC DOT really the organization to be leading this effort?

If we’re serious about reclaiming our streets and making them truly "complete" places where people—not just cars—can thrive, we need to tackle the car problem head-on. That means fewer vehicles, more public transit, and reclaiming space for pedestrians, cyclists, and international modes of micro-mobility. The benefits? Safer streets, cleaner air, and a city that actually feels like it’s built for the people who live in it.

Codification Conundrum—Why Did We Do This Again?

When the Dine NYC regulations were rolled out, they were supposed to bring order to the chaos of pandemic-era outdoor dining. And sure, we needed some rules—accessibility, safety, and all that jazz (well, we had that too but you get the picture). Instead of a nuanced approach that balanced the needs of businesses, residents, and the city, we got another one-size-fits-all solution that's stifling the very innovation it was meant to encourage.

NYC! The solution isn’t more regulation; it’s smarter regulation. Imagine if each neighborhood could adapt its streetscape to fit its unique character. Narrower roads in some areas, wider sidewalks in others, and plenty of space for outdoor dining, pop-up markets, green infrastructure, and community events. This isn’t just a pipe dream—it’s happening in cities around the world, like Barcelona and Paris, where car-centric streets are being transformed into pedestrian-friendly zones and green oases that makes MillionTreesNYC look like a mere sapling in comparison.

Tax the Problem, Not the Solution

Instead of taxing the businesses that bring life to our streets, why not tax the real problem—cars and the infrastructure they demand? What if we used vehicle-related taxes to fund pedestrian promenades, outdoor dining areas, and green spaces?

Introduce micro-taxes on luxury vehicles, which contribute disproportionately to congestion and pollution, or implement dynamic pricing for public transit and micro-mobility options to make them more attractive. The funds raised could be directly reinvested into public spaces, supporting small businesses and making the city more livable.

Leverage the benefits of public-private partnerships. By pooling resources, the city, private sector, and non-profits (this includes BIDs) could collaborate on projects that enhance urban spaces without relying solely on taxpayer dollars. Transparency would be key—think London’s congestion charge, where every penny is accounted for, and the benefits are clear for all to see.

We can’t stop there. Could we explore innovative funding mechanisms like value capture, where the increase in property values resulting from public investments (like a new park or pedestrian plaza) is used to fund those very improvements? How about a “public realm surcharge” on commercial real estate transactions, with the revenue earmarked for street improvements and maintenance?

Solutions shouldn't be solely dedicated to raising money (a necessary evil of course)—they’re about aligning incentives. By taxing the activities that harm our streets and subsidizing those that enhance them, we can create a virtuous cycle that benefits everyone.

The Fourth Turning—Crisis as a Catalyst for Change

This crisis is more than just a backdrop to the challenges facing our city—it’s a catalyst for change. The public is ready for bold solutions, not regulations that homogenize the fabric of our cities. Solutions that reimagine urban life as we have known it. Solutions that truly prioritize people over cars - or at least migrate them to a more predictable variable - small businesses over corporate giants, and vibrant public spaces over endless asphalt.

In their books, The Fourth Turning (1997) and The Fourth Turning Is Here (2023), William Strauss and Neil Howe describe a generational cycle of crisis and renewal that shapes the course of history. According to their theory, we are currently in the midst of a “crisis turning,” a period of upheaval that challenges old paradigms and sets the stage for new ones; a "high" period of strengthening institutions and weakening individualism.

We’ve seen glimmers of this new paradigm in recent years. The pandemic forced us to rethink how we use our streets, and outdoor dining became a symbol of resilience, adaptability, and community. But if we’re honest, we’re only dipping our toes in the water. To truly seize this moment, we need to go further, embrace the full potential of our public spaces, and use our current crisis as an opportunity to create lasting change. This is our moment to do just that. By reimagining our streets as spaces for people, not just vehicles, our subways as people movers, not cattle transport, we can create a city that reflects the values of the next generation—one that is more equitable, sustainable, vibrant and, perhaps, joyful.

Why We Need Landscape Architects More Than Ever

Landscape architects are uniquely positioned to lead this transformation, provided they are humble enough to realize their own psychologies can prevent even them from their anthropocentric tendencies. Their expertise in creating functional, beautiful, and sustainable spaces is exactly what New York needs right now. They understand that good design isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about creating, perhaps simply editing spaces that work for people and the planet.

Landscape architects bring an ecological approach to urban design, integrating stormwater management, energy efficiency, and microclimate control into their projects of all scales. They know how to make streets not just functional, but also resilient in the face of climate change. And they excel at public engagement, ensuring that projects reflect the needs and desires of local residents.

Most importantly, landscape architects are skilled at working across disciplines. They can bridge the gap between design, policy, and community needs, ensuring that urban transformations are holistic and inclusive. In a city as complex as New York, this interdisciplinary approach is essential.

Walking the Talk—The Importance of Personal Action

It’s easy to get lost in the cacophony of policy debates and bureaucratic red tape. While policy may still prevail, change doesn’t start with government mandates—it starts with us, the citizens who live, work, and play in these spaces. The choices we make every day—whether to walk or drive, to support small businesses or chain stores, to reduce our consumption and our footprint, to fight for green spaces or stay complacent—shape the very fabric of our city.

When you decide to take the subway instead of driving, you’re not just avoiding traffic; you’re casting a vote for a city that prioritizes public transit over private cars. When you choose to dine at a local restaurant with outdoor seating, you’re supporting a small business that brings character and life to your neighborhood. And when you stroll down a tree-lined street or enjoy an outdoor meal, remember that these spaces exist because people like you demanded them, fought for them, and supported them.

Your choices aren’t just about making New York City better—they're about making every city better, one small step at a time. Walk-the-talk. Choose actions that align with the vibrant, sustainable urban life we all need, nee deserve. Support the spaces and businesses that make our communities thrive. Speak up on their behalf. Demand better. Because at the end of the day, the power to shape our cities lies not in the hands of policymakers alone, but with you.

A perspective, I'm always interested in how others have and are experiencing the policies being implemented throughout NYC. Are they effective? Or are they simply another hurdle in the palimpsest of NYC regulation that taints every new exciting flavour with Vanilla? Let me have your thoughts as they might directly inform how our local BID can best support its community.