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
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Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
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