Reason(s) for outdoor staircases

I put the question about the reason for our many outdoor staircases to Gabriel Deschambault of the Plateau historical society. He didn’t quote chapter and verse, but he says this (my translation):

We must go back to the first residential subdivisions (for example on the Plateau), where the buildings were located on the lot line, at the edge of the sidewalk. This led to a rather poor outdoor space with uninteresting street views.

At some point, the City began to require that new constructions should have a setback, to offer a more open urban vista and an area for greenery in front of houses. Of course, this meant a reduction in the buildable surface area for housing, so developers quickly understood that by taking the staircase out of the area of the house, they gained more square footage inside.

This also meant that each dwelling had its own private entrance, which offered a certain standard of living. Everyone in their own home!

The church, too, was not very fond of common interior accesses that allowed for the sharing of neighbours’ problems, promiscuity, cooking odors, etc.

I remember someone telling me the church liked the outdoor stairs because you couldn’t get too kissy when saying good night to your date, but it seems to be considered an actual factor. So think about that when you’re clearing snow off your picturesque spiral stairs!