Mayor Adams Unveils New Designs for Sidewalk Sheds and Scaffolding That Will Beautify Streets, Make City Safer

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) Commissioner Jimmy Oddo today unveiled six revamped designs for sidewalk sheds — commonly referred to as scaffolding — that vastly improve the streetscape to be used at construction projects and buildings undergoing façade maintenance across the five boroughs. These new designs are a major improvement from the outdated and clunky green sheds that permeated city streets for decades and serve as a continuation of Mayor Adams’ successful “Get Sheds Down” initiative,” which is improving the aesthetic on city streets while protecting the public from potential overhead hazards around buildings and construction sites.

Additionally, Mayor Adams is also announcing recommendations from a comprehensive engineering study on the city’s Façade Inspection & Safety Program (FISP). This study is the first-ever effort to use evidence-based building science to recommend improvements to the current façade inspection requirements that could potentially reduce the need for sidewalk sheds without negatively impacting public safety. These announcements — along with a new slate of enforcement initiatives, which go into effect early 2026 — deliver key components of Mayor Adam’s transformative Get Sheds Down initiative that has taken major strides to reduce the prevalence of unsightly scaffolding across the five boroughs.

“For too long, scaffolding and outdated and cumbersome sidewalk sheds have blocked sunlight, hurt small businesses, and cluttered our neighborhoods, but today marks a major step forward in our mission to reimagine New York City’s streetscape,” said Mayor Adams. “By introducing these six modern designs and pairing them with the first-ever, evidence-based engineering study of our city’s façade safety requirements, we’re proving that safety and good design can go hand in hand. These reforms — along with the enforcement measures coming in 2026 — advance our ‘Get Sheds Down’ initiative and bring us closer to a city where New Yorkers can enjoy safe, vibrant, and beautiful streets once again.”

“These new sidewalk shed designs and the groundbreaking façade safety study represent exactly the kind of smart, evidence-driven innovation New Yorkers deserve,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Jeff Roth. “By modernizing outdated rules and giving builders better tools, we’re reducing unnecessary scaffolding while keeping public safety front and center. The enforcement measures launching in 2026 will ensure these improvements are felt in every neighborhood. Under Mayor Adams’ leadership, we’re streamlining operations, cutting visual clutter, and delivering a cleaner, safer, and more welcoming city for all.”

“These new shed designs are leaps and bounds above what we see on sidewalks today and coupled with scientific evidence-based reforms of the city’s façade inspection regulations, they will help us unclog pedestrian spaces for our fellow New Yorkers,” said DOB Commissioner Oddo. “The ‘Get Sheds Down’ plan was the first time an administration fully tackled the issue of how the second order effects of sidewalk sheds are negatively impacting our city. Now, thanks to the thoughtful work of our partners at Thorton Tomasetti, Arup, and PAU, along with the team here at DOB, we are seeing a path forward on initiatives that will benefit the city for years to come.”

“We’re turning an eyesore into an opportunity,” said Chief Public Realm Officer Ya-Ting Liu. “The new sidewalk shed designs demonstrate how the ubiquitous and mundane can reflect New York’s spirit of design, creativity, and care for public spaces.”

New Shed Designs

In February 2024, the city hired two of the city’s leading architecture and design firms — Arup and Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) — to help reimagine how to protect the public from hazards associated with buildings and construction sites. The two teams were tasked with each delivering three new pedestrian protection designs that simultaneously improve the pedestrian experience, beautify the streetscape, and keep costs reasonable for building owners, all while improving public safety. The firms were also charged with coming up with designs that use cost-effective materials that are readily available to contractors to reduce barriers to adoption. The six innovative designs are a major improvement upon the current hunter green pipe-and-plywood sheds that are seen in neighborhoods across the city today, and which are the source of frequent public complaints.

PAU’s team includes LERA Consulting Structural Engineers, Tang Studio Architect, LLC, Fisher Marantz Stone, RWDI, Dharam Consulting, and Langan. Arup led a team that includes KNE studio, Core Scaffolding, and Reddymade.

Design #1 “The Speed Shed” – Designed by PAU

Potential Use Case: A light duty shed that it is quick to deploy and quick to move. Good for short-term projects and emergency repairs. The design features an angled roof with netting, allowing natural light on to the sidewalk.

Design #2 “The Rigid Shed” – Designed by Arup

Potential Use Case: A heavy duty shed for major projects, like tower crane operations and high-rise construction. The design features a small footprint on the sidewalk and minimal obstruction for pedestrians.

Design #3 “The Baseline Shed” – Designed by PAU  

Potential Use Case: A versatile shed that comes in both heavy and light duty variants, adaptable to building and sidewalk dimensions on a wide variety of projects. The design features an angled transparent roof, allowing light to shine on the sidewalk.

Design #4 “The Air Shed” – Designed by Arup

Potential Use Case: A light duty shed that is completely lifted off the ground and anchored into the building for façade repair and window replacement projects. The cantilevered design is reminiscent of a balcony, with virtually no impact on pedestrians below.

Design #5 “The Wide Baseline Shed” – Designed by PAU  

Potential Use Case: A heavy duty shed for major projects perfectly suited for wide sidewalks on major thoroughfares. The design features heavy duty columns spaced far apart to minimize obstructions on the sidewalk.

Design #6 “The Flex Shed” – Designed by Arup  

Potential Use Case: A light duty shed good for maintenance work and emergency repairs. With easily adjusted roof heights and column placement, the design features a small footprint on the sidewalk that can be modified to work around unique building elements, as well as sidewalk obstructions like street signs and bus stop shelters.

Going forward, DOB will be working with PAU and Arup to make all six of these designs available for public use through the agency rulemaking process. Registered design professionals will be able to easily obtain permits for these designs through DOB’s Professional Certification program , much in the same way that they currently obtain permits for the old hunter green pipe-and-plywood sheds. Additionally, allowing every design professional and contractor the ability to utilize these new designs further drives down costs for building owners through competition. The city expects to see these new designs on city sidewalks as early as 2026.

“PAU’s designs reflect a radical rethinking of the form and materiality of sidewalk sheds, demonstrating that it is possible to have bright, inviting, and safe sidewalks and storefronts, while still providing the necessary protections that sheds offer pedestrians,” said Vishaan Chakrabarti, founder, PAU. “PAU was established to design for the public and I can’t imagine a more impactful intervention than making Gotham’s sidewalks — the most defining aspect of our city’s public realm — safer, more egalitarian, and more beautiful.”

Achieving Mayor Adams’ Get Sheds Down Vision

Today’s announcement is yet another step in achieving Mayor Adams’ Get Sheds Down initiative to ensure sidewalk sheds —intended as temporary pedestrian protections — no longer linger for years due to delayed repairs. Mayor Adams launched his Get Sheds Down plan in July 2023, a sweeping overhaul of rules governing sidewalk construction sheds and scaffolding to remove these eyesores from city streets more quickly, while redesigning and reimagining those that are needed. Long-standing sheds crowd city streets and darken sidewalks, negatively impacting tenants, pedestrians, and business owners. The Adams administration and Mastercard have found that sidewalk sheds can cost Manhattan businesses between $3,900 and $9,500 in consumer spending each month.

Since the launch of Mayor Adams’ Get Sheds Down initiative, DOB has helped remove 429 long-standing sheds across the city that were previously standing in place for five years or more. Currently, all sidewalk sheds in the city that are over three years old are enrolled in DOB’s Long-Standing Shed program , subjecting the property owners to stronger enforcement scrutiny, greater outreach, and court actions when the owners refuse to make repairs. Since the initiative’s launch, in July 2023, over 15,200 total sheds have been removed, including 1,663 that have been up for three years or more — representing a 10 percent net reduction across the five boroughs. The Adams administration has been leading by example on this issue; thanks to completed building repair projects, 1,453 sidewalk sheds have been removed from city-owned buildings since July 2023, including 88 long-standing sheds that previously were up for over five years.

Beginning in 2026, new enforcement measures signed, advocated for by the Adams administration and signed into law by Mayor Adams, will hold property owners accountable for timely façade and construction work. These include monthly Public Right of Way Penalties of up to $6,000 for sheds standing longer than 180 days, milestone penalties for owners of FISP buildings who miss repair deadlines, and an expanded Long Standing Shed Program that now targets sheds in place for three years or more with stricter enforcement and potential court action. Additionally, sidewalk shed permit durations will be shortened from one year to 90 days, requiring quarterly permit renewals with proof of progress on the underlying building repair work. Supported by new resources and a partnership with the New York City Council, the DOB is engaging property owners citywide to accelerate shed removal.

About Local Law 11 Study

In May 2024, the City of New York partnered with globally recognized engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti to conduct the first-ever comprehensive scientific review of the city’s FISP requirements for building owners, also known as Local Law 11 inspections. The 18-month study analyzed tens of thousands of inspection reports, reviewed international best practices, and gathered extensive stakeholder feedback to modernize regulations that have remained largely unchanged for 45 years. The findings confirmed that FISP has significantly improved public safety but identified areas for reform, including overuse of sidewalk sheds at buildings posing minimal risk and inconsistencies in how façade conditions are classified.

Key recommendations from the study, which will be posted in its entirety on the DOB’s website in the coming days include adjusting inspection frequencies for all buildings to six years; clarifying definitions of unsafe conditions; only requiring a sidewalk shed at a building for truly hazardous conditions and not just because of a missed repair deadline; introducing tailored requirements for lower-risk buildings, including less frequent hands-on inspections; reducing the number of hands on inspections required for each inspection; creating an option for stricter standards for specific buildings with a history of chronic deterioration; exploring ways to expand the use of drone technology for façade inspections; and improving guidance for privately contracted façade inspectors through the creation of a help desk and inspection guides. DOB is now developing updated FISP rules and a comprehensive industry guide to ensure consistent standards, enhance safety, reduce compliance-related costs, and reduce unnecessary sidewalk sheds.

“Scaffolding sheds serve an important role in protecting pedestrians from overhead construction, but they shouldn’t diminish the experience of walking through our city’s streets,” said Seth Wolfe, Principal, Arup. “Our designs have fewer obstructions to overcome the tunnel-like feel of current sheds, bringing light and life back to New York City sidewalks.”

“These recommendations draw on extensive stakeholder feedback, materials research, and a comprehensive study of best practices in New York City and other major markets, as well as decades of our own experience in facade repair and restoration,” said Gary Mancini, P.E., managing principal, Thornton Tomasetti. “The goal of this initiative is to enhance public safety while also addressing one of the most visible challenges in our streetscape: the excessive use of sidewalk sheds. By modernizing the program, we can allocate resources where they’re truly needed and improve the experience at street level.”

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