About the project:

In New York City, sidewalk sheds are deployed for new construction, building alterations, and as part of Local Law 11 Facade Inspection regulations. Local media, politicians, and citizens commonly comment on the negative impacts sheds have on the local community. However, it has not been quantified or empirically measured if sheds actually adversely impact the community. Through considering 311 complaints and NYPD crime data, it is explored if there is evidence to support the claim that sheds have negative impacts on communities. While it is not found that there is conclusive evidence that sidewalk sheds consistently have negative impact communities, improved data sources would likely allow for a more nuanced and concrete answer. To aid in facilitating NYC Department of Buildings work of overseeing sheds and prioritizing what sheds are most in need of attention, complaint and violation data is combined from multiple sources to create a prototype ranking system that highlights sheds that may be problematic or in need of intervention.

Datasets Used:

• Department of Buildings Permits Data
• 311 Complaints Data View Data
• DOB Violations View Data
• DOB Complaints View Data
• DOB Permits View Data
• NYPD Complaints View Data

Related Work

• Active Sidewalk Sheds
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Sponsor

• CUSP Urban Modelling Group
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Mentor

Dr. Debra Laefer
Profile

NYU CUSP 2018 Capstone Projects

For more information visit this link

Results

Report

Click here to view the report

Meet our team:

• Rebecca Schneidegger Profile
• Shreya Bamne Profile
• Marc Toneato Profile
• Jonathan Geis Profile

References

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Elstein, A. (2016) The law that created the billion-dollar scaffold industry has turned city sidewalks into an obstacle course. Crains New York. January 4, 2016. http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20160124/REAL_ESTATE/160129960/scaffolds-are-everywhere-in-new-york-city

Fanelli, J. (2014). Scaffolding Is ‘Kiss of Death’ for Business, BLT Fish Says. DNAInfo. https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20140528/flatiron/blt-fish-says-neighboring-scaffold-is-kiss-of-death-for-business/#slideshow-carousel

Guse, C. (2018) New map shows the ridiculous amount of obstructed sidewalks in NYC. TimeOut New York. April 12, 2018. https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/new-map-shows-the-ridiculous-amount-of-obstructed-sidewalks-in-nyc-041218

Hoffer, J. (2017) Investigation into sidewalk sheds up for more than a decade in NYC. ABC 7 NY. November 22, 2017. http://abc7ny.com/exclusive-sidewalk-sheds-up-for-more-than-a-decade-plague-nyc/2684034/

Hu, W. (2016) Sidewalk Scaffolding, the Unwanted Neighbor, Is Under Scrutiny. New York Times. December 5, 2016. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/05/nyregion/sidewalk-scaffolding-the-unwanted-neighbor-is-under-scrutiny.html

Hu, W. (2017) New York Has 280 Miles of Scaffolding, and a Map to Navigate It. New York Times. May 2, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/02/nyregion/new-york-has-280-miles-of-scaffolding-and-a-map-to-navigate-it.html

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New York Times Editorial Board (2017) New York, a City Encased in Scaffolding. May 10, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/10/opinion/new-york-a-city-encased-in-scaffolding.html

Malo, S. (2014) These Shoddy Sidewalk Sheds Are Disasters Waiting To Happen. Huffington Post. June 3, 2014.https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/03/new-york-sidewalks-shoddy-sheds-_n_5440198.html

Mueller, B. (2014) 10 Years On, Scaffolding in Harlem Is Still a Shelter for Noxious Acts. New York Times. September 2, 2014. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/03/nyregion/a-decade-on-a-sidewalk-shed-is-still-an-unwanted-shelter.html

Pereira, I. (2018) Sidewalk sheds in NYC stretch almost 270 miles, according to new map by the DOB. April 11, 2018. https://www.amny.com/news/sidewalk-sheds-map-1.17983804

The Real Deal. (2017) Cure is worse than the disease for sidewalk shed problem, REBNY and city say. November 3, 2017. https://therealdeal.com/2017/11/03/cure-is-worse-than-the-disease-for-sidewalk-shed-problem-rebny-and-city-say/

Rizzi, N. (2018) Scaffolding Collapse In Downtown Brooklyn Injures 3, Police Say. April 16, 2018. https://patch.com/new-york/heights-dumbo/scaffolding-collapse-downtown-brooklyn-injures-3-police-say

Rogers, T. (2009) Crime and scaffolding. Brick Underground. May 28, 2009. https://www.brickunderground.com/blog/2009/04/crime_and_scaffolding

Siff, A. (2017) Scaffolding Collapses in SoHo, Injuring 5 People. NBC New York. November 19, 2017. https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/SoHo-Scaffolding-Collapse-East-Houston-Broadway–458636123.html

Walker, A. (2017) Bill to regulate lifespan of NYC’s many sidewalk sheds moves forward. Curbed New York. November 4, 2017. https://ny.curbed.com/2017/11/4/16606408/nyc-sidewalk-shed-scaffolds-bill-proposal

Wang, L., Qian, C., Kats, P., Kontokosta, C., Sobolevsky, S. (2017) Structure of 311 service requests as a signature of urban location. PLOS ONE 12.

WJE Engineers. Facade Ordinances. Accessed April 28, 2018. http://www.facadeordinance.com/