Today, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, Deputy Mayor Leila Bozorg and Department of Buildings (DOB) Commissioner Ahmed Tigani announced New York City has reduced the number of sidewalk sheds by approximately 1,200 since January, a decrease of more than 15% in 10 months.
The administration is also advancing new rules to bring better-designed sidewalk sheds to streets across the five boroughs. The new designs will let more light reach sidewalks and storefronts, improve visibility and create a more welcoming pedestrian experience while maintaining essential safety protections.
Two new designs by the architecture firm Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) are now on display outside DOB headquarters in Lower Manhattan. Earlier this summer, DOB showcased two additional designs by architecture firm Arup. On Thursday, TIME magazine named Arup's design one of its Best Inventions of 2026.
"In the greatest city in the world, New Yorkers shouldn't have to accept dark, obstructed sidewalks as a fact of life. We're taking down sheds that don't need to be there and building a better alternative for the ones that do. That means brighter sidewalks, clearer storefronts and better public spaces that work for the people who use them every day," said Mayor Mamdani.
"With fewer sheds on our streets and new, more attractive sheds going up soon, we're making significant progress toward safer and more welcoming sidewalks and open spaces. The teams at DOB, Arup, PAU and public servants across the city are dedicated to creating more vibrant streetscapes, and New Yorkers are already seeing results," said Leila Bozorg, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning.
"Thanks to the leadership of the Mamdani Administration, significant progress is being made to return valuable sidewalk space back to New Yorkers," said Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani. "Enhanced oversight by DOB is helping to compel owners to start long-delayed building repairs, leading to the safe removal of hundreds of long-standing sidewalk sheds in neighborhoods across the five boroughs. At the same time, the city's six new improved shed prototypes, created by our partners at PAU and Arup, are being recognized as a significant step forward in pedestrian-focused design. I encourage everyone to take a trip to our headquarters building in Lower Manhattan over the next several weeks to get a better understanding of how much better these new designs are compared to the old pipe-and-plywood sheds currently seen throughout the city."
The PAU and Arup designs are the result of a multiyear effort to rethink sidewalk sheds, improve the look and feel of city streets and prioritize pedestrians without compromising public safety. The designs are owned by the City of New York and may be freely copied to encourage adoption across the five boroughs. DOB expects to finalize agency rules making the new designs available for citywide use before the end of the year.
