Pedestrian Mobility Plan

In New York City pedestrians account for a third of the city’s daily trips. Like other transportation systems, walking relies on an interconnected network of sidewalks and crossings. Our sidewalks accommodate a variety of uses and amenities. Landscaping, cafes and street furniture are an essential part of what makes a city attractive. But we need to make sure there is space for the movement of pedestrians.

A busy regional sidewalk on 7th Avenue in Manhattan. Pedestrians are walking along the sidewalk as well as on the temporary bus boarding island that increases the space for walking.

NYC DOT developed a holistic, data-driven framework to categorize streets based on pedestrian needs. This pedestrian plan will allow us to address needs beyond basic safety and accessibility. The plan aims to improve pedestrian comfort and convenience as well as increase walking citywide.

To ensure that our sidewalks appropriately accommodate walking, we must first categorize our streets based on pedestrian demand. NYC DOT created five broad street categories to determine the pedestrian needs on the city’s sidewalks:

A busy, neighborhood sidewalk on 5th Avenue in Brooklyn. Pedestrians are walking on the sidewalk, which contains trees and bike racks. Although the sidewalk is busy, pedestrians have room to travel without crowding.
Graphic of a baseline street shows a narrow sidewalk with one pedestrian walking on it.

Baseline Street

  • Streets that have low pedestrian volumes with infrequent passing
  • Typically residential streets with no widespread pedestrian generators
  • Basic ribbon sidewalk with tree lawn considered sufficient
  • Makes up roughly 60% of city roads
Graphic of a community connector shows a regular-width sidewalk with enough space for individuals to pass each other.

Community Connector

  • Streets that have individuals passing one another or small groups
  • Residential streets that connect to nearby destinations such as small parks or schools
  • Standard sidewalks with tree pits recommended
  • Makes up about 25% of city roads
Graphic of a neighborhood connector shows a wider sidewalk with enough room for groups of people to pass each other comfortably.

Neighborhood Corridor

  • Streets that have small groups of people passing each other
  • Consistent pedestrian destinations, such as neighborhood business districts or large schools or parks
  • Generous sidewalks recommended
  • Makes up roughly 12% of city roads
Graphic of regional corridor shows a wide sidewalk with a crowd of people passing each other.

Regional Corridor

  • Streets that have crowds of people passing each other
  • Concentration of pedestrian destinations or large-scale attractions that draw people from around the region
  • Wide sidewalks recommended
  • Makes up about 2.5% of city roads
Graphic of a regional corridor shows an extremely wide sidewalk with large crowds moving in different directions.

Global Corridor

  • Streets that have large crowds of people moving in many directions
  • High concentration of pedestrian destinations that draw people from around the world
  • Extremely wide sidewalks recommended
  • Makes up less than 0.5% of city roads

Regional and Global corridors draw large groups or crowds from the city and beyond. Neighborhood corridors provide neighborhood amenities for smaller groups of people. Community connectors are residential streets where people pass each other on the way to neighborhood destinations. Baseline streets have little pedestrian activity beyond the residents who live there.

To categorize every sidewalk in the city, NYC DOT analyzed seven key indicators to estimate pedestrian demand:

  • Retail, Office and Restaurant Density
  • Park Entrances
  • School Frontages
  • Bus Stops
  • Subway Stations
A small sidewalk on Mt. Eden Avenue in the Bronx. The sidewalk is lightly used by pedestrians but accommodate people walking in opposite directions.

Corridor Category Maps

The Corridor Category Map shows corridor types in the five boroughs. Corridor maps will be updated over time as new data becomes available. Bronx Corridor Category Map (pdf) Brooklyn Corridor Category Map (pdf) Manhattan Corridor Category Map (pdf) Queens Corridor Category Map (pdf) Staten Island Corridor Category Map (pdf)