New York City passes "Get Sheds Down" legislation to reduce city's scaffolding

New York City has passed several bills aimed at reducing the nearly 400 miles of scaffolding sheds covering buildings in the city, some of which have been installed for more than five years.

Under mayor Eric Adams Get Sheds Down plan announced in 2023, the bills passed by New York City Council initiate a redesign of the scaffolding structures and limit the duration of their installation from one year to three months, among other reforms.

The bills seeks to improve visual appeal in the city, as well as public safety.

"These revitalized rules will help the New York City Department of Buildings remove unsightly scaffolding and ensure that sidewalks sheds are safer, more secure, and more visually appealing when they go up for a limited amount of time," said Adams in a statement.

"Above all, they will allow us to reclaim valuable space for the public and let the light back onto our sidewalks".

The design reform would expand the colour palette of scaffolding, or sidewalk sheds, beyond the current distinct hunter green "to include metallic gray, white, or a color matching the facade, trim, cornice, or roof of the building".

It would also increase the size of electric lighting underneath the scaffolding itself, which often creates darkened, narrow passageways along sidewalks, and increases the minimum height to 12-feet (four metres).

According to public data, a total of 2,011,801 linear feet of scaffolding currently covers New York City facades, or about 380 miles.

Accord to the council,336 of these sidewalk sheds have been installed for more than five years, such as at New York City's largest highschool, which was scheduled to finally come down late last year according to the Gothamist.

A study conducted by New York City and Mastercard reported that the construction infrastructure costs businesses located in scaffolding-covered buildings between $4,000 and $9,500 (£3,095 and £7,352) each month, as visitors are less likely to spend less.

It has also "fueled a lucrative scaffolding industry" according to the Gothamist, where companies charge building owners thousands of dollars to erect and maintain the structures.

As of early 2024, architecture and engineering studios Arup and Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) were set to work on the redesign of the scaffolding sheds.

The new bills call for design proposals to be submitted later in 2025.

Other recent reforms to New York City infrastructure include the first implementation of congestion pricing in the US and safety barriers trialed throughout the subway system.

The photography is by Thomson200 unless otherwise stated.

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