By Jill Colvin
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — The city is looking to add a new round of public plazas like the ones in Times and Herald squares.
The Department of Transportation opened applications Wednesday to non-profits looking to transform "underused streets into vibrant, social public spaces."
The call is the latest round of the program aimed at building new plazas in neighborhoods across the city. While the city pays to design and build the plazas, which can include tables, seating and public art, it's up to the non-profits to maintain and manage the spaces once they're built.
While applications are open to all, the DOT says it will give priority to neighborhoods it deems in need of public space. The Upper East Side, Murray Hill and Gramercy Park have all been previously identified by the agency as lacking open spaces.
Projects that have already been selected through the program include Grand Central Partnership's Pershing Square plaza, to be built outside of Grand Central Terminal, Heritage Health & Housing's Hamilton Place plaza at Broadway and West 137th Street, and the Forsyth Street plaza on Forsyth Street between Canal and Division streets along the Manhattan Bridge.
