Porches in the Sky: Studio Reading

"Stairs and balconies are viewing platforms, looking out onto the world..."this includes fire escapes that symbolize romance and personal getaways. So it makes me wonder why the numbers of fire escapes are decreasing in New York to nearly an estimated 200,000. In reality, when us New Yorkers have "alone time" it resides in us being tucked away in our small apartments. It took many attempts and explanations of why an egress was so important to be a human right and until destructive warehouse fires, owners could not give residents personal access to safety from their building. And like nearly all designs, it encountered design failures and never met its expectations. Edward Croker, Chief of the Fire Department of New York City, discusses all the negative elements of the fire escape design. The article describes fire escapes as, "...uniquely shaped, simply engineered and easy to understand. They are also disfiguring...". However, I personally like the rustic contrast fire escapes bring  to the city in comparison to all the new, technology-savy buildings that are up and coming. It will always be character and charm that makes New York well, New York.