Sidewalk shed

A sidewalk shed is the temporary protective structure over the sidewalk, required when façade conditions are unsafe or overhead work proceeds. Sheds are permitted, dated structures — each has a permit trail recording when protection went up and how long it stayed — and their rental-by-the-month economics create the city's most visible compliance pathology: protection is cheaper than repair, so sheds stand for years while the underlying obligation waits.

For analysis, shed duration is a public proxy for deferred façade work: a shed measured in months marks a repair in progress; one measured in years marks an owner buying time. The permit dates quantify the deferral precisely, which is more than most maintenance signals can offer.