The Real Genius of Bloomberg's Plan to Convince You to Take the Stairs

With the end of his third term squarely in sight, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg may have finally reached Peak Nanny. Yes, the man who imposed calorie counts on menus, banned smoking in public parks, and failed to ban large sodas, has a new target — stairs. No, not banning them. Rather, trying to make the concept of walking up and down them "cool."

Last week, Bloomberg announced a package of legislative efforts aimed at urging New Yorkers to embrace taking the stairs. One bill would requires new buildings to make stairs more conspicuous and post signs encouraging stair use. A second aims to change building codes to allow access to at least one stairway for non-emergency use at all times. Both bills must still be approved by the City Council, but in the meantime Bloomberg has enacted an executive order that requires city agencies to follow the design guidelines of a new non-profit organization, the Center for Active Design.