Archinect - News

California environmental review process is hindering affordable housing development, according to new state agency report

2024-05-28T12:57:00-04:00

A new report on California’s entrenched housing crisis from the state's independent Little Hoover Commission has identified the 54-year-old California Environmental Quality Act (or CEQA) as the greatest barrier currently in the way of architects and planners looking to meet the demand for 2.5 million new units statewide by 2030.

LAist.com has more on the report, which took over a year to compile. Among its findings is the concerning fact that 25% of all lawsuits initiated under CEQA have been challenges to infill housing developments in densely populated urban areas (e.g., Los Angeles). Authors say this could grow into all-out “urban warfare” that, in turn, overburdens exurbs and more inland areas. LA has been more proactive recently under the mayorship of Karen Bass but must still overcome hurdles to meet its mandate to build 500,000 new homes before 2029.

Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies publishes research on the state-by-state effectiveness of ADU policies

2023-11-10T18:36:00-05:00

The publication of a new research paper from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University has provided policymakers with a useful nationwide assessment of different state-level policies regarding Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in the United States.

The paper centers on two markets – New Hampshire and Portland, Oregon – as a means of comparing measured and more aggressive approaches (the latter having already been long-established as a national model).

Researchers were seeking to combat the “self-reinforcing negative cycle” that is born out of patchwork regulations and has made market conditions even more challenging to their production. The results offer proof, according to the authors, that “robust changes can have dramatic impacts.”

Related on Archinect: A possible future for ADUs and its growing 'familiarity factor'. Image courtesy of Abodu.

Comparisons of the failures of different approaches to by-right approvals in creating new housing in the New England states i...

Specifying the future of steel construction could be your next job description

2022-10-05T13:37:00-04:00

Following last week’s look at an opening for a Senior Architect at CHECKSET, we are using this week’s edition of our Job Highlights series to explore roles for a Structural Steel Specialist at the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC).

The successful candidate will support the AISC in its mission to write the specifications to which all steel buildings in the U.S. are designed and built, and to produce design standards that advance the quality, economy, and safety of steel bridges. The position, which is available in six different U.S. cities, requires a minimum of three years’ experience in building design and construction, with a preference for technical experience in structural steel fabrication.

Why the role interests us

The importance of effective building codes has been ever-present in our editorial over the past 12 months, whether in relation to the Champlain Towers collapse in Surfside, ...