The public space officer will be in charge of making the city’s sidewalks more pedestrian-friendly while keeping streets clean and accessible.
Reporting for Bloomberg CityLab, Cailley LaPara and Gregory Korte describe a new position created by New York City mayor Eric Adams. The city’s new ‘public space czar’ is tasked with cleaning up the ‘clutter’ on the city’s streets and sidewalks and organizing the variety of street uses that popped up during the pandemic, many of which have brought social and economic benefits.
The mayor appointed Ya-Ting Liu, who formerly worked as chief strategy officer for the Deputy Mayor of Operations. “Formally known as the chief public realm officer, Ya-Ting Liu’s job will be to figure out how to make the city’s outdoor dining program permanent, make streets more pedestrian-friendly and keep business districts clean.”
According to the article, “The new position is one of several that Adams has invented going into the second year of his mayoralty as he attempts to manage some of the city’s more intractable challenges.” Other positions, including Director of Rodent Mitigation, remain open.
FULL STORY: New York Has a New Public Spaces Czar to Help De-Clutter City Streets
NYC Announces $30M for Open Streets Projects
The funding is designed to support open streets and public space projects in underresourced neighborhoods.
'Open Streets' Have an Accessibility Problem
The rush to utilize sidewalk space for outdoor seating and parklets has created new obstacles for people with disabilities.
Mamdani’s Budget Fails to Expand Open Streets, Breaking Campaign Promise
The proposed budget allocates $2 million to Summer Streets and Open Streets, less than the $2.1 million allocated by the Adams administration last year.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association