As the first Chief Public Realm Officer for the City of New York, Ya-Ting Liu is responsible for coordinating across city government, community organizations, and the private sector to create extraordinary public spaces across the entire city and continue to drive the city’s economic recovery.  

Since her appointment in February 2023, she has advanced major public space policy and project initiatives for the Adams Administration including overseeing the implementation of the country’s largest outdoor dining program and transforming commercial districts throughout the city, including the redesign of 5th Avenue from Bryant Park to Central Park. Ya-Ting is also focused on reforms that make it easier for New Yorkers to activate, maintain, and program in public spaces.

Liu brings over 15 years of policy, community organizing, coalition building, and government affairs experience to the Adams administration. Before entering city government, Liu worked as the director of government affairs and policy for the rideshare company Via, as sustainability program director for the New York League of Conservation Voters, as director of transit advocacy for Transportation Alternatives, and in federal advocacy for the Tri-State Transportation Campaign.

Liu earned a bachelor’s in conservation studies from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master's in city planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.