can scaffolding outgrow the city?

The posts to follow will show a series of speculations or hypotheticals. These are simply a starting point (or points) focusing on scaffolding itself – a ubiquitous part of our urban environment that usually goes unnoticed. An unscientific and admittedly rather anecdotal examination of New York City’s landscape over the last several years has prompted a series of questions.

-Can the public sector benefit at the infrastructural level from a boom that has benefited the narrow segment of the populace who can afford it?
-Can private infrastructure be expropriated for public use and then returned when the need is no longer urgent?
-Can this simple building technology serve other needs?