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Mayor Adams taps former transit advocate to oversee NYC's public spaces
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Feb 16, 2023
Modified Feb 16, 2023
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Left: Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images; Right: courtesy Mayor Adams' office
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Feb 16, 2023
Modified Feb 16, 2023
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Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday announced that Ya-Ting Liu, a former transit advocate, will become New York City’s director of the public realms. The highly anticipated new role in City Hall is expected to expand and manage popular programs such as Open Streets and outdoor dining, which took off during the pandemic.
“Our city’s public spaces are too important to fall through the cracks of bureaucracy, and now they won’t," Adams said in a statement. "New Yorkers need to know there is one person at City Hall whose No. 1 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."
In a phone interview with Gothamist on Wednesday, Liu said the pandemic and the ensuing lockdown have changed New Yorkers’ relationship with public spaces and made people more appreciative of the emotional, mental and physical benefits of being outdoors.
“I think that now, as the city's trying to recover, there's just this kind of broad consensus that creating vibrant, attractive, inclusive public spaces is absolutely critical to the city's recovery,” she said.
Liu, who had worked as a chief strategy officer at City Hall, is well known in transportation and environmental advocacy circles and her appointment has been rumored for weeks. She previously worked at Transportation Alternatives, a bike and pedestrian advocacy group, and the New York League of Conservation Voters.
Prior to working for the city, Liu served on Adams’ transition team that worked on infrastructure, climate and sustainability issues. She has also been an outspoken critic of hostile architecture.
Liu, who starts her new position immediately, will be paid an annual salary of $195,000. She will be tasked with coordinating with various city agencies, including the transportation department, as well as community and business groups.
Under her new role, Liu will continue to report to Meera Joshi, the deputy mayor for operations.
Adams first announced the creation of a so-called “public realms czar” in December after the idea was proposed in a report by a civic panel charged with reimagining the city. The panel specifically called for turning commercial districts like Midtown into 24/7 live-and-work spaces that would incorporate a robust public realm.
In his State of the City address last month, Adams pledged to invest more than $375 million in new parks, plazas as well as wider sidewalks, safer intersections, and expanded bike lanes. He has also embraced a concept to make Fifth Avenue, one of the city’s iconic commercial corridors, more pedestrian-friendly with fewer cars.
Liu said her top priority would be pushing the City Council to pass legislation that establishes permanent rules governing outdoor dining.
Adams has vowed to address the infamous dining sheds, which some have viewed as eyesores and magnets for noisy revelers and rats.
According to Liu, the new design standards for outdoor dining structures should put an end to the term “sheds.”
Urban planning and open space advocates welcomed news of Liu’s appointment.
“I can’t think of a better person to occupy the position of public realms director,” said Kate Slevin, executive vice president at the Regional Plan Association. “She’s passionate about public space and livable and safe streets.”
Similarly, Jackson Chabot, a director of Open Plans, a group focused on transforming city streets, said that Liu had “demonstrated her commitment” to issues expanding the city’s public spaces.
But in a sign of some of the pressure that Liu will now face from advocates, Chabot said he wanted to see the city invest more in the management of the city’s Open Streets program, which restricts car traffic on designated streets during certain hours.
The program, overseen by the transportation department, has been immensely popular with residents. But city officials have struggled to maintain it, leaving the operation of Open Streets to business improvement districts and, in some cases, volunteers.
“We would love to see specific money in the budget for Open Streets,” Chabot said.
Tagged
new york city
Politics
transportation
eric adams
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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