NYC Reforms Sidewalk Sheds
On March 26, the New York City Council passed a vote reforming the rules governing scaffolding and sidewalk sheds, the latter of which have become ubiquitous across Manhattan, with some of the structures in place for more than five years. The reforms target the sheds' appearances, frequency of erection, and how long they are kept in place.
Broadway shows, bustling streets, soaring skyscrapers—every good memory visitors to New York City carry back with them is accompanied by an equally unsettling impression: rats, noisy and dirty subways, litter and trash lining the curbs, and all those damn sidewalk sheds. While roughly half of the sidewalk sheds and scaffolding is due to the constant demolition and construction that defines the city, the other half has been erected to facilitate the facade inspections that are required on buildings six stories and higher every five years. The latter requirement, known as the Facade Inspection Safety Program (FISP), arose from a law passed shortly after a woman was struck and killed by a piece of masonry that fell from an Upper West Side building in 1979. The law, which was solidified into its current form in 1998, made owners responsible for inspecting facades at regular intervals to protect the safety of residents and tourists, but it has resulted in miles of sidewalk sheds blanketing the city, especially Manhattan, and has made the metal piping topped by green plywood panels as ubiquitous as hot dog vendors, yellow cabs, and jaywalkers.
NYC's own portal of active sidewalk shed permits indicates 8,516 sheds totaling just over 2 million linear feet (610,000 meters), or nearly 400 miles. The average duration of the active sheds is 512 days, with 336 of the active sheds in place for more than five years, for an average of 2,357 days. To draw attention the worst offenders, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine highlighted the eight oldest sidewalk sheds in Manhattan. One of those 336 five-plus-year sheds is shown here over a period of seven years: a three-story building in a well-trodden part of Lower Manhattan, just steps from City Hall Park, the World Trade Center, and Wall Street.
The character and ubiquity of sidewalk sheds is set to change with the New York City Council's recent passing of legislation to “strengthen the safety and efficiency of sidewalk shed management, including bills to shorten the duration of sidewalk shed permits and improve their designs.” The vote, which passed on March 26, follows from Mayor Eric Adams's plan unveiled in June 2023 to “remove unsightly sheds, scaffolding from NYC sidewalks.” As passed, the reforms target five aspects of sidewalk sheds:
- Design—The Department of Buildings (DOB) will recommend new color options, increased lighting, and, where possible, higher heights. (Last year, the DOB selected Arup and PAU to redesign the sheds.)
- Duration—Permits for facade repairs would be reduced to 3 months from 12 months, and owners would be penalized for permit extensions.
- Inspections—The inspection interval would increase from five years to between six and twelve years.
- Lighting—Requirements for lighting levels would be doubled.
- Enforcement—Penalties for inadequate construction documents and permits and for failing to complete repairs within two years would be introduced.
The current NYC administration is not the first to target the ugliness of sidewalk sheds. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who expended more energy than most NYC mayors on the design of streets and public spaces, held a design competition in 2009 to create more attractive sidewalk sheds. The winner, the Urban Umbrella, can be found in many parts of the city, though it's worth pointing out that they are typically installed at sites of new construction and/or demolition, not the facade inspections that the new reforms target. As such, World-Architects is looking forward to the new designs being developed by Arup and PAU, and we will share them once they have been unveiled.
