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> Windows aren't for aesthetic reasons. They are required in bedrooms by most codes for fire egress purposes

Commented on this elsewhere [1], but egress into a fireproofed stairwell is a safety-neutral compromise. It's against code, however.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35989503

Egress is also insane for high-rises, but it is still code.

> Egress is also insane for high-rises, but it is still code

That's the point. It's vestigial code that could be loosened to promote housing supply.

Let me know how that works from the 43rd floor.

Pretty hard to egress from the window of the 30th floor of a skyscraper anyway innit

Have you ever pondered what the big ladders on firetrucks are for?

> Have you ever pondered what the big ladders on firetrucks are for

The tallest ladders in the FDNY's inventory go up to 100'. (They were testing a 300' rig, but I don't know if it was deployed.) They aren't designed to recover people from burning skyscrapers.

Most buildings in NY are less than ten stories tall. You don't have to exit from the floor you live on.

> You don't have to exit from the floor you live on

Which means you don’t need a window in every apartment—those people can’t use theirs for egress.