Queen Village is joining the Open Streets movement
Queen Village will close a portion of Fourth Street to motor vehicles on Oct. 11 and Oct. 18.
Open Streets is coming to Queen Village on the next two Saturdays as the neighbors association seeks the business boost and relaxing car-free vibe of the widely popular original version on West Walnut Street.
The goal is to “emulate the success” of the pedestrian-friendly event begun last year by Center City District, said Louis Bartholomew, executive director of the Queen Village Neighbors Association.
“We’re hoping to get a good slice of foot traffic,” Bartholomew said.
South Fourth Street will be closed to motor vehicles between Bainbridge and Catharine Streets this Saturday and on Oct. 18, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In its first season last year, the Center City District said the event brought 115,000 visitors to the Rittenhouse Square area on four September Sundays.
Ninety percent of retailers surveyed reported that they saw an average 86% more foot traffic in their stores and restaurants, CCD found in 2024. And 79% of the businesses said they had increased sales over the four Sundays of the program, it said.
“It sounds really obvious: People walking down the street spend more money than people driving down the street,” said Prema Katari Gupta, president and CEO of the Center City District.
Last year, the district characterized Open Streets as an experiment, taking advantage of Center City’s walkability. It returned this year for an encore on six fall Sundays. The last installment is Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“The numbers didn’t lie,” said QVNA’s Bartholomew, a public policy manager and data analyst. He said the association will survey business owners after the Saturday events to see how effective Open Streets was along South Fourth Street.
The idea appears to be catching on.
The East Passyunk Business Improvement District held two single-block Open Streets gatherings, one on July 24 and the other on Aug. 24.
It was an extension of the popular Passyunk Passeggiata, a Thursday evening stroll along the sidewalks for window shopping, eating, and drinking that takes its name from an Italian tradition.