For twenty years, the Garment District Alliance has worked to improve the pedestrian experience by investing in our streets. Whether its planting new trees, repairing tired storefronts or installing new lighting, we are committed to making the Garment District better, brighter, and more beautiful!

GARMENT DISTRICT PLAZAS

The most exciting (and noticeable) streetscape improvement in the District in recent years are the “Garment District Plazas”, a fully landscaped pedestrian esplanade that runs from 36th to 41st Streets along Broadway Boulevard and includes pedestrian living rooms (public benches, chairs, and umbrellas) and a bike lane. The Garment District Alliance worked with the Department of Transportation to implement the project and it has been a huge success! The Alliance continues to conduct daily maintenance of the plazas and strives to keep the plazas clean, green and safe.

HORTICULTURE

On the Broadway plazas and in front of properties throughout the neighborhood, we now have over 430 trees and planters, displaying seasonal plant life. This past year we completed 3 different rotations, from colorful spring flowers, to lush summer annuals, to hearty winter evergreens. We also maintain over 70 custom tree guards around our tree pits to add protection and style.

STREET SEATS

Working with the Department of Transportation, we identify locations that would be ideal for a temporary Street Seat. This creates a brand new public space in areas that are normally deprived of seating and greenery. One parklette takes up a single parking space that typically draws 100 people each day, and can improve retail sales by 10%-15%. 

AVENUE LIGHTING PROGRAM

The Garment District Alliance is offering owners of Avenue facing properties (Sixth, Broadway, Seventh & Eighth Avenues) the opportunity to participate in a subsidized security lighting program. The GDA also encourages Avenue facing property owners to enhance their buildings with façade up-lighting, which the GDA will help facilitate but is not subsidized. See the Garment District Alliance Avenue Lighting Program for details.

TAKING IT BLOCK BY BLOCK

Each week, the Garment District Alliance conducts extensive maintenance on all of its streetscape elements. From bollards to bus shelters, we are committed to keeping the area clean and graffiti-free and making it better each and every year. And our numbers don't lie.

Since our inception in 1993, the BID has worked to maintain, beautify and improve thousands of elements, including 1,600 pieces of street furniture, 380 security lights, 325 planters, 300 signage poles, 300 tables and chairs, 100 banners, 90 waste receptacles, 80 decorative lamp posts, 70 tree guards, 28 Fashion Walk of Fame plaques, and 20,000 square feet of Garment District Plaza space. We keep track of over 2,000 city street elements and we've made over 9,000 reports to NYC’s 311 hotline to date. We believe that no improvement is too small and that our attention to detail is resulting in a cleaner, safer Garment District.