NYC Mayor Adams appoints public spaces official to oversee city’s community space

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has created a new position in charge of New York City’s public spaces.

Mayor Adams has appointed a public spaces official to oversee the city’s community space. This is one of the key recommendations from the sweeping Hochul-Adams “New New York” plan for post-pandemic revitalization.

The mayor tapped Ya-Ting Liu, chief strategy officer for the deputy mayor for operations, for the newly created title, which will be called the chief public realm officer.

“Lockdown profoundly changed New Yorkers’ perspective and understanding of public spaces, and how important they are across the city,” said Liu.

“This [position] is a recognition that there is this agency alphabet soup [responsible for public space],” she said. “I see this role as being the quarterback.”

In the new position, Liu will coordinate multiple agencies that oversee public space usage, including the Departments of Transportation, Parks, Climate, Buildings and Environmental Protection, among others.

“The job here is to have a point person to fix and respond [to issues], but also to think big picture about public space,” Liu said.

The role of chief public realm officer was highlighted by last year’s “New New York” panel of 59 public and private sector leaders appointed by Adams and Gov. Hochul.

The creation of the role within City Hall was among the many recommendations in their 159-page report.