How an âOpen Streetsâ Operative Spends His Sundays Kyle Gorman spends much of the day touring parts of the city that are participating in the popular outdoor program. Kyle Gorman, center, visiting a pedestrianized street in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.Credit...Hilary Swift for The New York Times By Alix Strauss June 4, 2021, 5:00 a.m. ET Last month, Open Streets, an initiative started during the pandemic to clear up to 100 miles of city streets for pedestrians, cyclists, outdoor dining and cultural programming, was made into a permanent program by Mayor Bill de Blasio. And many of this yearâs mayoral candidates are considering how to improve it going forward, including more options in low-income communities (Eric Adams) and public safety measures like retractable bollards (Kathryn Garcia).