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New York Has a New Public Spaces Czar to Help De-Clutter City Streets

Customers sit in outdoor dining areas of restaurants in New York City. — Customers sit in outdoor dining areas of restaurants in New York City.
Photographer: Amir Hamja/Bloomberg

By

Cailley LaPara and

February 16, 2023, 3:57 PM UTC

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has hired the city’s first-ever public spaces czar in an effort to help re-open streets and sidewalks that have become overcrowded with outdoor dining, scaffolding, bike lanes and other uses.

Formally known as the chief public realm officer, Ya-Ting Liu’s job will be to figure out how to make the city’s outdoor dining program permanent, make streets more pedestrian-friendly and keep business districts clean.