A Towering Problem

The relationships between New Yorkers and the cranes that build their skyscrapers are tenuous at best. As the New York Times describes, people are wary of them and more so in the wake of Saturday's tragic disaster in Turtle Bay. The question is, where do we go from here? Developers are heeding orders for brand new office space at a high rate and reward their subcontractors for a speedy delivery. Unfortunately that "free market" feel can, does and will create more disasters like we saw two days ago and other various mishaps that have happened since we started erecting skyscrapers.

Well one good idea is in the works and it has everything to do with accountability. Lets face it, the Buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster should go. Obviously the tragedy at Trump SoHo earlier this year wasn't enough for her and someone needs to come in and restore order with all of the contractors that work in the city.

The fact that a building collapsed all on its own up in Harlem two weeks ago is another ominous sign. If we can not have adequate supervision of new buildings in one of New York's most affluent neighborhoods, how are we supposed to expect adequate surveillance of the hundreds of thousands of buildings that are already in existence across the five boroughs? One thing is for sure, if there is anything good to come from this accident, it is that the rules change from here on out.