In their article, “‘Get Sheds Down’: Reforming NYC’s Shed Construction,” Kenneth M. Block and Melissa T. Billig discuss New York City Department of Buildings’ (DOB) new “Get Sheds Down” initiative that aims to minimize the amount of time a sidewalk shed remains over city sidewalks at buildings with filed exterior construction work.
This initiative is not without irony: The Sun Building at 280 Broadway in Manhattan—DOB’s headquarters, which New York City’s own Department of Citywide Administrative Services owns and manages—was wholly or partially enveloped by sidewalk sheds for at least 10 years, between 2009 and 2019.
