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Capturing Space

Nice essay about the escalator and what it did for urban spaces. Lot of history and a bit of a long read for those interested in detail. The flow of people in an unbounded space that an escalator provides is unique:

Before the escalator was invented, commerce and transportation were largely one-dimensional. Stairs and elevators were for the committed and purposeful, their limitations constraining vertical expansion, above and below ground. Stairs require patience and effort. Elevators have a unique, precise, and tightly constrained mission. The invention of the escalator changed everything: suddenly, a constant flow of people could ascend into the air, or descend to the depths. The escalator modified architecture itself, creating fluid transitions into spaces above and below. Now, in commerce and transportation, neither the sky nor the ground would be the limit.

Being able to see the surroundings as you move around in an open space, makes the experience somehow more joyful. You are surrounded by people but can move away a bit to create privacy. That is unlike an elevator where you are stuck with strangers and its best not to have a conversation because no matter what you say it will sound weird to strangers. The only exception is when a child is talking or leading the conversation. Just about anyone would be good with that. On an escalator the space moves with you and there is something exhilarating about that - never thought about it until reading this essay.

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