Yes. I attended a conference in Bogota, Colombia, in 2003 highlighting that city's innovations in public transportation, biking, and public space. It was quite impressive and it is exciting to see these initiatives being adopted here.

Absolutely. Last summer on a Summer Streets Saturday, I walked from my apartment in Carroll Gardens, up Clinton Street, over the Brooklyn Bridge, and then continued up to my office on 40th Street. It was fantastic! The turnout of people was incredible and brought life to what is typically just another dead stretch of asphalt. 5 years ago I recall walking down Spring Street in SoHo and imagining a Saturday pedestrian mall for the throngs of shoppers and tourists. The repurposing of Times Square and Herald Square as pedestrian malls is an example of a more permanent repurposing. The sheer volume of pedestrians in these areas, funneled in by multiple transit lines, cried out for more ped space. But the kicker is the engine of vitality that these spaces become by inviting residents and tourists to enjoy them. It takes what was a relatively lifeless conveyance into a place that generates human interaction and happiness.

More generally there are many areas where the large share of street space given over to drivers leads to seriously congested conditions on the sidewalk and induces dangerous driving behaviors. We need to more rationally allocate that space so that (1) peds and cyclists get a fair share of our public ways and (2) we promote sustainable mobility practices.

Temporary, in most cases that come to mind.

Yes.

Yes. This repurposing improves our “quality of life” by giving people a chance to get out of their houses and cars and interact more directly with others. People are brought together and neighborhoods are strengthened.

Yes, I do support these initiatives. I believe there is a strong community benefit when pedestrians and bicyclists can reclaim the street, even on a temporary basis.

I am an enthusiastic supporter of efforts to diversity the use of public space in New York City. Good public space is often what makes good cities into great ones. We are fortunate in New York to have myriad forms of space which, with a little imagination, can be utilized in a great many different ways. I absolutely support temporary repurposing of street space for pedestrians and cyclists. If there is a good argument to be made for permanent repurposing of particular streets, I would be open to the proposal, but would insist on a thoroughgoing process that involved any and all stakeholders who would be affected by such a change.

I think it needs to be done in a careful way. As a cyclist, I certainly appreciate car-free and bus-free streets, but before any street is "repurposed" we must be respectful of the history of the street as an auto route and the implications on commerce and driving commute that would arise from eliminating vehicular traffic. Some provision must be made for businesses to get deliveries and for the non-walking non-cycling public to reach it.
From the biking perspective, such routes are only useful if they are continuous and lead anywhere. Changing any rule impacts someone, but I believe that the lowest impact "repurposing" would likely be places like the roadways of major parks like Prospect and Central, and perhaps sidestreets which parallel major auto routes, with exemptions made for block residents.

DOT’s Public Plaza Initiative and Pedestrian Street Program take underused public space and turn it into something more accessible and positive for the community. I support these and other creative initiatives to reclaim underutilized public space.

I do support the temporary (where appropriate) and permanent (where appropriate) repurposing of street space for the safe use by pedestrians and cyclists.