Bloomberg: Take the Stairs, Fatty

Bloomberg's latest health crusade won't force New Yorkers to take the stairs, but it will encourage the climb. Even as the race is on to succeed him, New York City's mayor has unveiled an executive order requiring new city buildings (and those undergoing substantial renovations) to use "active design" strategies, in addition to two bills he's proposed to beef up their visibility and access, the New York Times reports. What he'd like to see: stairs featured as a focal point in a building's design; signs near elevators that remind people to use their feet; and stairways that are clean and adequately lit.

"The whole idea here is not to change what you have to do, but to give you the idea or the impetus to do something that is in your own interest," says Bloomberg, who points out that, per the Daily News, that "I have five floors. I take the stairs." The Times highlights one sticking point in the mayor's plan: In many cases, stairs' doors remain closed as a fire-safety measure; one of the bills Bloomberg is pushing would allow for devices that keep doors open but shut automatically if a fire breaks out. (More Michael Bloomberg stories.)