There are more elevators in Newyork City than Canada?
High agreement — the answer is well-supported across models.
Models agree on
- ✓New York City has between 70,000 and 84,000 elevator devices, with approximately 63,000 active passenger elevators.
- ✓Canada has an estimated rate of roughly 4 elevators per 1,000 people.
- ✓Canada's national total elevator count is estimated to be around 160,000.
- ✓North American elevators are significantly more expensive than those in Western Europe due to construction and regulatory factors.
Points of disagreement
- ~Model 1 asserts that Canada easily surpasses NYC, making the claim an urban myth. Model 2 suggests the claim is 'roughly true or at least plausible' based on its initial interpretation, even while presenting data that ultimately contradicts the claim.
No, it's a common misconception that New York City has more elevators than Canada. While NYC does have a remarkably high concentration of elevators due to its density, Canada as a whole significantly surpasses it in total elevator count.
New York City Elevator Landscape
New York City is home to an immense number of vertical transport devices. According to the NYC Department of Buildings, there are over 84,000 elevator devices within the five boroughs. This impressive figure includes approximately 63,000 active passenger elevators, with the remainder comprising freight elevators, escalators, wheelchair lifts, and other specialized systems. NYC's elevator density is indeed exceptional, exceeding the combined total of major US cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C., and Miami.
Canada's Elevator Population
Canada's elevator count, while not centrally tracked at a federal level, far outstrips that of New York City. Provincial data and industry estimates provide a clear picture:
- ·Ontario alone accounts for roughly 60,000 elevators, with a significant portion (around 21,000) in residential buildings.
- ·Nationally, Canada has an estimated rate of approximately 4 elevators per 1,000 people. Given Canada's population of over 40 million, this projects a national total of roughly 160,000 elevators.
- ·When considering the substantial numbers from Ontario plus those in other high-rise saturated cities like Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton, Canada's total is at least double that of New York City.
Why the Misconception and Cost Implications?
Despite its vast geographical area and lower population density compared to NYC, Canada's total elevator count is higher. One interesting point of discussion is the cost of elevators in North America. Both the U.S. and Canada share a regulatory environment that leads to some of the most expensive elevators globally—reportedly 3 to 4 times the cost of comparable systems in Western Europe. This is partly attributed to North American elevator shafts being approximately 85% larger than the global baseline. This high cost and regulatory complexity (a single unified code like ASME A17.1/CSA B-44 combined with over 100 local sub-codes) might discourage elevator installation in smaller buildings, potentially contributing to the perceived lower numbers in much of Canada outside its major urban centers, but not enough to offset the total national count.
The Bottom Line
New York City is an outlier in urban density and elevator concentration. However, when comparing it to an entire country like Canada, the sheer scale of the nation's infrastructure, even with pockets of lower density, results in a significantly higher overall number of elevators.
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