Every day I ride my bike along Broadway into Madison Square and then onto 5th Avenue. It’s my daily route to school and also to any point downtown from where I live. Every time I pass the area, I see people sitting, taking pictures, and thoroughly enjoying the wide-open public space that is safe from vehicles on both sides of the square.

I remember coming home last Summer from Australia and being utterly surprised by the drastic changes in traffic patterns in that area. From a bicyclist’s perspective, the area is a lot more convenient to travel through, and from a motorist’s perspective, it’s definitely less confusing to get from one avenue to another (Broadway and 5th Avenue split here).

Streetfilms has a fantastic video detailing the work it took to transform that public space into what it is today. Watch the video above if you want to know a bit more about the big stone bollards and the people behind the project.