There is a lot of construction going on in NYC. Some of it is infrastructure repair but most of it is new building. It waits to be seen how much of what has been started will be finished because of the "economic downturn." For those of us living through such decisions, scaffolding is a constant addition to the list of obstacles we maneuver around on a daily basis.
Let's start with the
PRO (as I said, I can only think of one!)
~ During inclement weather, the scaffolding, if it doesn't leak too much, provides shelter from the storm. I was actually able to make it four blocks from the subway to my apartment building one day, dodging torrential rains, by zig zagging under scaffolding surrounding at least one building on every block. It even provides a place to come out of the rain while you're waiting to dash across the street.
CONS~ These scaffolds are not good for street trees. Despite the fact that they are built around existing trees, the tree branches are crunched or worse, broken, by the wood panels that comprise the scaffolds structure.
~I have complained about the lack of space on city sidewalks before..especially when tourists, double-wide baby strollers or people with open umbrellas (because the scaffolding does leak) are around. Everything gets even more constricted under scaffolding.
~With all the serious construction accidents here lately, there are some people who are just plain afraid to walk under scaffolding. This means that store owners see reduced traffic while the construction is going on.
~Dog owners seem to pick up after their dogs even less than usual under scaffolding. (Remember I am a dog owner myself so I can make these harsh generalizations!).
