Street Smarts: An examination of the nature of local media coverage of recent street conversion programs in New York City and Stockholm

Sammanfattning: The twin crises of the Covid pandemic and the climate emergency have led to a need to reconsider the way we use our cities. Many cities have implemented street conversion programs, aimed at shifting away from prioritization of cars in street usage. Two fairly successful examples of these types of programs are the Open Streets program in New York City and the Future Streets program in Stockholm.This study uses thematic coding to examine how local journalism portrayed these programs to readers, supplemented by interviews with the planners in charge of the programs as well as academics studying the programs.The outcome of this study reveals differing local coverage of the programs in New York City and Stockholm. Local coverage in New York City tended to be more detailed and focus more on the theory behind various decisions. This coverage also relied heavily on opinion. Local coverage in Stockholm was more sparse, and relied more on close reporting of practical details of the program, as well as direct quotes from residents. The reporting in both instances provides insight on how planning projects are written about in local media, as well as the way public participation plays out with the help ofreporting.