Yafit Shafer-Sull.
Yafit Shafer-Sull, 27
Operations and Streetscape Manager at Fifth Avenue Association
Yafit Shafer-Sull joined the Fifth Avenue Association, a business improvement district for the iconic stretch of Manhattan, while working toward a master’s in urban, community and regional planning at Hunter College. She earned her degree, and was promoted to operations and streetscape manager as the pandemic took over New York City and inspired a collective craving for, and appreciation of, open space.
Shafer-Sull said the pandemic forced people to think about the inequitable distribution of quality, welcoming, versatile public space in cities across the country, especially New York, and to think more creatively to better utilize communal spaces. Fortunately, connecting people and their urban space is her passion and her area of expertise. Her day job is finding ways to encourage people to enjoy Fifth Avenue and experience it as a destination, not just as a path from point A to point B.
If you like that experience — art installations, events, technology, walkability, etc. — you owe thanks to Shafer-Sull. She collaborates with architects, traffic engineers and countless other experts on the ongoing Vision for Fifth Avenue campaign, meant to make the strip more pedestrian- and public transit-friendly, among other improvements.
“The large scale of this project really opens up the possibility of making substantive, creative and innovative changes to an iconic street in New York City,” she said.
That’s not all. Since 2020, Shafer-Sull has managed the Fifth Avenue holiday displays project. That amounts to three-quarters of the year collecting decor proposals, working with creative teams, tracking project spending and consulting on concept and thematic development, finances and future productions to create a more exciting and engaging experience for everyone. Happy holidays (this year with new elements), indeed.—S.P.
