\u201cIt would be a much more enjoyable space to be, because it is a changing neighborhood,\u201d said Wilson Johnson, who owns the coffee shop Suited on John Street. \u201cIf the car part can be ultimately limited, the pedestrian aspect of what\u2019s possible with FiDi \u2013 I think \u2013 would make up for the joy in that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Owners of local establishments yearn for more car-free spaces like the booming examples that already exist in Lower Manhattan, such as Stone Street or the New York Stock Exchange, they told Streetsblog. The increasingly residential area is ripe for a major overhaul that prioritizes people, not the movement and storage of personal cars, merchants said.<\/p>\n
Residents and local politicians<\/a> have for years tried to curb the constant stream of cars, but mayoral administration after administration and the neighborhood\u2019s influential business improvement district, the Downtown Alliance, have balked at bigger thinking<\/a>, like pedestrianization or low-traffic neighborhoods<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Financial District and nearby Battery Park City suffer the highest storefront vacancy in the entire city, according to a recent report<\/a> by Comptroller Mark Levine from earlier this month, at 21.1 percent, nearly double the citywide average.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the area\u2019s foot traffic is among the highest in the city as well \u2013 second only to Midtown<\/a> \u2013 with more than more than 2,000 people per hour on some thoroughfares, like Nassau, William and Fulton Streets, according to recent research<\/a>.<\/p>\n City planners and business bigwigs could capture that heavy footfall by restricting vehicle movements and giving people some breathing room, according to a local pol.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving a low-traffic neighborhood down in the Financial District would be extremely welcome. The streets make for it,\u201d Council Member Christopher Marte told Streetsblog. \u201cThis could be a huge boon for [businesses] as we\u2019ve seen in European cities and all around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n A gleaming example what\u2019s possible when cars are out of the way came on Thursday, when Mayor Mamdani banished cars from Manhattan south of Canal Street, river to river, for the ticker-tape parade to celebrate the New York Knicks\u2019 NBA championship.<\/p>\n The temporary car ban turned busy arteries like Fulton Street from this\u2026<\/p>\n \u2026into this:<\/p>\n Just a Stone\u2019s throw away<\/p>\n Lower Manhattan already has some marquee car-free areas, like the world-famous cross streets around the New York Stock Exchange and Federal Hall at Wall and Broad streets; the South Street Seaport; and the historic Stone Street \u2013 \u201cManhattan\u2019s original open street\u201d<\/a> \u2013 where residents and the after-work crowd flock to enjoy the pubs and eateries lining the car-free cobblestone road.<\/p>\n The manager of La Parisienne, a French caf\u00e9 on Maiden Lane, loved the idea of a pedestrian-first revamp for that street, which despite its quaint name is choc-a-bloc with cars and trucks. <\/p>\n \u201cThat would be huge for businesses like us,\u201d said Phoebe Papademetriou. \u201c[The street] doesn\u2019t leave much space for people to walk around. And the street itself, for cars, takes up more space than the sidewalk.\u201d<\/p>\n Low-traffic neighborhoods bar through-traffic while still allowing local drop-offs, deliveries emergency access. The neighborhood-wide design has long been popular in cities from London<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0Barcelona<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Big Apple has rolled out elements of it on individual streets, like the successful bike boulevard on Berry Street in Williamsburg<\/a>, and bike and pedestrian modal filters in Gowanus.<\/a><\/p>\n More neighborhood<\/p>\n The Financial District has seen a surge in residential population and tourism over recent years, topping 70,000 for the first time last year, according to a February report<\/a> by the Downtown Alliance. <\/p>\n But its streetscape design has remained largely stuck in the 20th century of prioritizing the movement of trucks and cars, and the curbside is filled with parked cars, many with government parking placards.<\/p>\n \u201cThe residents are turning this place into more of a family-friendly pedestrian place that doesn\u2019t have to require cars,\u201d said Johnson. \u201cI think [business occupancy] would go up and create even more community, were there more pedestrian areas.\u201d<\/p>\n The manager of Lucky Tiger, a cocktail bar on Pearl Street, said eking out more space for people downtown would pull in more patrons and give the formerly office-only area more of a neighborhood feel. <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a massive influx of people moving down to this area,\u201d said Sam Murphy, a manager at Lucky Tiger. \u201cThe more that businesses like us can avail of outdoor seating and outdoor space for the people and the massive influx of people that are moving down to this area, the better.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cNot only for businesses but also for the residents because it offers them more variety and gives them more opportunity to go ahead and explore the neighborhood,\u201d Murphy added.<\/p>\n Some businesses could be worried about getting their deliveries could restrict those shipments to overnight, and have designated drop-off zones for people arriving in cars.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_8163-e1779920771325.jpg\")
Photo: Kevin Duggan<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Duggan-Fulton-St-Knicks.jpg\")
New Yorkers finally got some space on Fulton Street in FiDi after the ticker-tape parade. Photo: Kevin Duggan<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Duggan-NYSE-June-26.jpg\")
The area around the New York Stock Exchange is fully car-free \u2014\u00a0and it is beloved by locals and tourists alike. Photo: Kevin Duggan<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_3207.jpg\")
Lucky Tiger manager Sam Murphy welcomed more space for people. Photo: Emily Smith<\/p>\n