New York Construction Report staff writer
New York City has removed approximately 1,200 sidewalk sheds since January, reducing the number of structures across the five boroughs by more than 15 per cent in 10 months.
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, Deputy Mayor Leila Bozorg and Department of Buildings (DOB) Commissioner Ahmed Tigani announced the reduction, along with the installation of two new sidewalk shed designs intended to improve pedestrian access, visibility and natural light.
The new designs, developed by architecture firm Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU), are on display outside DOB headquarters in Lower Manhattan. They are the first installations of either model on a New York City sidewalk.
The two models, called the Baseline Shed and Speed Shed, are part of a multiyear effort to replace traditional pipe-and-plywood structures with designs that improve the pedestrian experience without compromising public safety.
The Baseline Shed, available in heavy-duty and light-duty versions, features transparent polycarbonate decking and an angled roof designed to allow more natural light onto sidewalks while improving visibility of ground-floor businesses.
The Speed Shed is intended for lighter-duty applications. Its angled roof uses rockfall netting to catch debris while allowing light through. Detachable wheels allow the structure to be moved quickly between locations.
The PAU designs follow two prototypes developed by architecture firm Arup, which DOB showcased earlier this summer. TIME magazine named one of Arup’s designs to its Best Inventions of 2026 list on Thursday.
All six designs developed by PAU and Arup are owned by the City of New York and may be freely copied to encourage their adoption. DOB expects to finalize rules allowing their use citywide before the end of the year.
The city has also strengthened oversight of sidewalk sheds following the passage of Local Laws 48 and 51 of 2025. The changes include more frequent permit renewals and increased penalties for sheds that remain in place when no active construction work is underway.
New regulations also limit the footprint of sidewalk sheds on large campuses, including New York City Housing Authority properties and university campuses, to prevent unnecessary coverage of open spaces away from buildings.
“New Yorkers shouldn’t have to accept dark, obstructed sidewalks as a fact of life,” Mamdani said, adding that the administration is working to remove sheds that are no longer needed and improve those that remain.
Tigani said stronger DOB oversight is prompting building owners to begin long-delayed repairs, allowing hundreds of long-standing sidewalk sheds to be safely removed across the five boroughs.
