New York City gets its first-ever chief public realm officer

New York is the no.1 most walkable city in the United States. Each of the 32,000 New York City streets has its own atmosphere and a story to tell. However, many of the city’s streets face the same problems, such as the lack of pedestrian spaces, dining sheds, and car traffic. 

Last year, Mayor Eric Adams announced that New York is looking for its first-ever chief public realm officer who will oversee the city’s public spaces. The new job position was one of the 40 recommendations included in the “New New York” report. On February 16, Mayor Eric Adams hired Ya-Ting Liu, a former transit advocate, for this job. 

“Our city’s public spaces are too important to fall through the cracks of bureaucracy, and now they won’t,” said Mayor Adams. “New Yorkers need to know there is one person at City Hall whose number one goal is to improve their quality of life by creating incredible, new public spaces and ensuring the ones we have are clean, equitable, and safe.”

As New York City’s first-ever chief public realm officer, Liu will facilitate communication among the city government, community organizations, and the private sector. Ya-Ting Liu will also focus on expanding NYC's Open Street program, making the city’s streets more pedestrian-friendly, and removing construction sheds from sidewalks. 

One of the first projects the new public realm officer will oversee is the ambitious Fifth Avenue plan, which aims to turn space from Bryant Park at 42nd Street to Central Park at 59th Street into a permanent pedestrian-friendly boulevard. Ya-Ting Liu will also work on transforming spaces under the Brooklyn Bridge in Manhattan that have been closed to the public for years. 

“In New York City, the public realm is everyone’s living room. It’s where we eat, play, and gather. Having beautiful public spaces accessible to all people is one of our greatest assets — it is what makes New York City so special,” said Chief Public Realm Officer Ya-Ting Liu. 

“I am thrilled and honored to be the first-ever chief public realm officer for the City of New York, and I look forward to working with our businesses, community partners, and city agencies to build vibrant, attractive, and inclusive public spaces in all five boroughs.”

Resources:

“Mayor Adams Appoints Ya-Ting Liu as NYC's First-Ever Chief Public Realm Officer,” (NYC, 2023)

“New York Has a New Public Spaces Czar to Help De-Clutter City Streets,” by Cailley LaPara and Gregory Korte (Bloomberg, 2023)

“New York City Finally Has a Public-Realm Czar,” by Diana Budds (Curbed, 2023)

“Mayor Adams taps former transit advocate to oversee NYC's public spaces,” by lizabeth Kim (Gothamist, 2023)

“Mayor Adams appoints New York City’s first-ever public realm officer,” by Audrey Wachs (The Architect’s Newspaper, 2023)