The new sidewalk sheds designed for New York City are facing criticism online due to their strangely sloped roofs. However, an expert in design points out a larger issue: the question of who will bear the costs.
According to David Burney, an associate professor at Pratt Institute and a former commissioner of city construction, while these new designs represent a significant improvement over the current ones, building owners and contractors are unlikely to invest in them when cheaper options, like green plywood sheds, are available. He noted, “They’re a huge improvement over the crap that we put up now, but who’s going to pay for it? Unless they make it mandatory, it’s hard to see who’s going to pay for it.”
These redesigned sheds, introduced under former Mayor Eric Adams last November, were presented as alternatives to the traditional green pipe-and-plywood sheds.
The administration of Mayor Zohran Mamdani has already placed two prototypes outside the Department of Buildings headquarters in Lower Manhattan.
Designed by the firm Practice for Architecture and Urbanism, one prototype features a slanted, transparent roof made of polycarbonate decking to provide more light. The other employs rockfall netting to catch debris while allowing sunlight to filter through.
The unconventional angles of the roofs have raised questions among critics about how they will handle rainwater. One reality star and Los Angeles mayoral candidate, Spencer Pratt, humorously asked if the roofs were designed to drain water into the buildings, while former City Councilman Justin Brannan made a quip about the design’s political slant.
Burney, however, dismissed concerns regarding drainage, stating, “They can easily handle the draining. I don’t think it’s a problem.” Yet, he had some reservations about the rock netting, suggesting that it might leave pedestrians exposed to rain and sun. He mentioned, “One benefit you do get is when it’s raining or really sunny you can walk under the shed and get some protection. So if they take that away, that will be one more reason to hate sidewalk sheds.”
But the primary issue, as Burney sees it, is the cost. Traditional plywood sheds typically run between $125 and $180 per linear foot, according to the contractor Prime Scaffold.
A spokesperson from the Department of Buildings did not provide a specific estimate for the new models but confirmed that the designs aim to use affordable, readily available materials and can be reused. Still, the spokesperson admitted that these new sheds would indeed require a greater initial investment compared to standard models.
Burney recalled a previous attempt to enhance the appearance of sidewalk sheds that failed because owners weren’t forced to opt for the more expensive designs. He anticipates that this time around, the same issue will arise: “The owners don’t want to pay for it. The contractors don’t want to pay for it.”
