Alan Scott

'It Is Very Dark': Low-Income Housing Shortage Of 7 Million Units Expected To Worsen With Federal Cuts Roughly 35 affordable housing units are available for every 100 extremely low-income households across the country, according to a new NLIHC report.

So I thought people didn't like to see other people living on the streets.
What do you think will be the consequences of these kind of heartless cuts?

www.bisnow.com/national/new...

Denver Backpedals on Energy Usage Regulations The Federal Reserve aims to hold rates steady, but Trump’s push for cuts could politicize monetary policy, risking market stability. This tension may impact commercial real estate, with borrowing and ...

Shortsighted policy change. Energy efficiency retrofits to meet Building Performance Standards have a positive return on investment while also supporting critical action to mitigate climate change. It is time to raise the bar, not lower it!
propmodo.com/denver-backp...

As wildfire anxiety grows, Austin plans to designate half the city as at risk of fire damage About two-thirds of land parcels in the city would be considered at risk of damage from wildfire, up from about 35% a decade ago. The changes would require builders to construct more homes with firepr...

Austin City Limits.......at high risk of conflagration. Many other communities have similar fire risk and need a collective approach to fire resilience
www.kut.org/energy-envir...

Trump orders swathes of US forests to be cut down for timber President’s move to expand tree cutting across 280m acres evades rules to protect endangered species

Just perfect, sure let's kill off endangered species, magnify climate change, and increase wildfire threats to rural communities. I weep
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

My point exactly

DOGE Kills Funding Program Vital To Affordable Housing Preservation HUD has already awarded more than $1B in grants and loans to a variety of affordable housing projects.

Tragic & shortsighted. In addition to moral & humanitarian issues, this horrendous move will mean many more people who cannot afford housing & utility bills, & who suffer health problems from poor IEQ, ultimately costing tax payer more, even as more people suffer.
www.bisnow.com/national/new...

There is no national energy emergency: The U.S. has abundant energy and is steadily transitioning toward a cleaner, more secure energy future The reality is that there is no “national energy emergency” as suggested by an executive order signed by Donald Trump, nor inadequate electric generating capacity or reliance on foreign energy. The en...

"The narrative of a national energy emergency is a manufactured crisis designed to serve the interests of the fossil fuel industry...data tells a different story: U.S. enjoys energy abundance & is steadily transitioning toward a cleaner, more secure energy future" www.archpaper.com/2025/03/no-n...

Opinion: Building resilience is part of Oregon's role in climate-ready infrastructure A columnist says that constructing resilient, net zero buildings can transform communities.

As I wrote for Portland Tribune, extreme weather events across the nation are becoming more frequent, and combining resilience upgrades with energy efficiency improvements can protect lives and deliver immediate economic benefits. www.portlandtribune.com/opinion/opin...

She Lobbied for Formaldehyde. Now She’s at E.P.A. Approving New Chemicals. Lynn Dekleva, who recently took a senior role at the agency, once led an aggressive effort by industry to block regulations on formaldehyde.

The fox guarding the henhouse!
Who voted for more cancer?
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/26/c...

Trump wants to cut more disaster recovery funding. Nearly every Congressional district has recently needed the money Since 2011, 22 congressional districts have been struck by 12 or more disasters—and 77.3% of those are represented by Republican House members.

With increasing severity/frequency of disasters, we need FEMA and HUD disaster recovery funding more than ever, as well as an increased investment in #resilience to reduce risks before hazards occur bit.ly/3D5fFL3

FEMA Quietly Eases Rules Meant to Protect Buildings in Flood Zones The agency issued an internal memo saying it would “pause” a regulation directing that schools, libraries and other public facilities damaged by disasters be rebuilt safely.

Idiotic policy reversal!

“We are jeopardizing the safety of the people in that community,”

“Wasteful spending is when you’re spending money on repairing something you know is going to get damaged again,”
Chad Berginnis, ED, Assoc. of State Floodplain Managers

www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/c...

Climate change could erase $1.4 trillion in real estate value due to insurance costs A new report identifies the most vulnerable areas to climate migration and soaring insurance prices.

The economic, climate and demographic modeling behind this report predicts that more than 55 million Americans will "voluntarily relocate within the U.S. to areas less vulnerable to climate risks by 2055."

www.axios.com/2025/02/03/c...

‘No rebuilding without them’: Trump’s immigration crackdown will affect disaster recovery Saket Soni, founder of Resilience Force, says skilled restoration workers, with a range of legal statuses, are doing the arduous task of repairing US cities affected by disasters

Everything is interconnected.
Climate change/natural disasters are a driver for immigration to U.S.
Many of the workers who help w/ disaster recovery & rebuilding in the U.S. are immigrants.
As this article says “no rebuilding without them”

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Revisiting Applied Hope - RMI On the eve of a major US political transition and geopolitical shifts globally, Amory Lovins explores why Applied Hope is as relevant today as it has ever been, and how it will continue to guide RMI i...

Great essay on applied Hope. Timely guidance for our work in this moment.

“Now is the time to be practitioners, not theorists; to be synthesists, not specialists; to do solutions, not problems; to do transformation, not incrementalism.” Amory Lovins

rmi.org/revisiting-a...

I am excited to be joining an amazing panel of thought leaders to discuss #climate #resilience in the built environment. Building resilience is good for business. Sign up and join the conversation next week.
events.teams.microsoft.com/event/fd6a1f...

I am passionate about #resilience and its integration with #mitigation in sustainable built environments. I was glad to share my perspectives on the stage at the #smartcityexpomiami back in September and follow that up with a contribution the this magazine. Check it out!
bit.ly/4ipFxBe

Agrivoltaics can increase grape yield by up to 60% French agrivoltaics company Sun'Agri says that two of its facilities increased grape yields by 20% to 60% in 2024, compared to areas without solar panels. The PV modules helped regulate temperature fl...

"[I]t also helps protect against frost, preventing temperature drops of up to 2 C. As a result, plants' survival rates improve, with mortality reduced by 25% to 50%." #Solar's advantage
www.pv-magazine.com/2024/11/29/a...

I am a huge fan of this practice. We need so much more of this at all scales.

Dispatch from COP29: From surreal to real - Climate and Capital Media Beyond the Scandal - the real work of COP

My first post from COP29, more coming: www.climateandcapitalmedia.com/dispatch-fro...

The Greatest Existential Threat to Our Planet: Spoiler Alert … It’s Not Climate The huge and widening disparity in well-being in the United States and globally must be addressed for climate action to succeed.

Incredible important and insightful perspective on how we need to reframe our approach to addressing climate change with a primary focus on the wellbeing of disenfranchised communities www.greenbuildermedia.com/blog/the-gre...

Great conversation, Prof Hayhoe! I particularly appreciated your description of climate change as the hole in all the other buckets of issues that draw our attention. Spot on!

Climate Risk Data Is Playing an Important Role in Investors’ Decision Making The importance of climate risk data in real estate is growing as extreme weather events driven by climate change increasingly affect property markets. Platforms like Zillow and Realtor.com have begun ...

Recent disasters highlight the need to identify & prepare for natural hazard/climate risks.

"All of this movement on climate risk data is helping bring more transparency to the business and, hopefully, helping buyers and sellers of real estate make more informed decisions." bit.ly/3CBJPoN

Avoid A Total Blowout - Metal Architecture Buildings need to be resilient in the face of both acute and chronic wind impacts, especially with the trends toward greater wind-pressure event intensity.

Last April was the 2nd most active month for #tornados in the history of the U.S. & the '24 #hurricane season included devastating storms.
Building pros need to consider design for enhanced wind #resilience. Here is summary of #buildingenclosure design standards for wind resilience: bit.ly/3CAD9Hv

Are you a Solutionist?

Check out this amazing and inspirational book, The Solutionists by @greensolitaire.bsky.social.

A Solutionist is a solver of problems, a person “who has a strong sense that they absolutely can do something about world problems”

We need Solutionists more than ever now.

Home is where the resiliency is | The American Institute of Architects Empowering communities to thrive in a warming world.

While winter is arriving in the north, it was a record hot year. We need to design for thermal #resilience, using #passivehouse principles to reduce cooling loads, energy use & CO2 emissions from AC under normal conditions & maintain safe indoor temps in inevitable power outages
bit.ly/4fwSSpB

It was an honor to speak at GreenBuild in Philadelphia last week with Karema Enos, Monika Serrano & Gail Napell. We had a packed house to hear about #resilience assessment in #LEEDv5 & how pre-design natural & #climatechange hazard screening & vulnerability assessment can inform sustainable design

£21B Real Estate Lender Won’t Offer New Loans To Firms Without A Decarbonisation Plan ING said any new loans it makes must now have a minimum sustainability standard, and its borrowers need a plan to cut carbon.

"One of the largest real estate lenders in Europe will no longer provide new debt for companies that don’t have a plan to cut the carbon emissions of their assets..."
Others will follow. Real estate assets w/ high #carbonemissions & low climate #resilience will become liabilities. bit.ly/4hhq85h

Seeing Double - Metal Architecture Regardless of how we feel, technology is here to stay and, with thoughtful application, can provide tremendous benefits.

Whether you love it or fear it, its important to keep up on tech trends.
1 emerging application of tech is the #digitaltwin
They offer a promising option to improve #buildingperformance include #energy performance, #IEQ, #resilience, & #circularity
I hope this summary is helpful: bit.ly/3CwTUmS

Building a More Resilient Nation - Metal Architecture After a disaster, time is of the essence. Roofs need to be repaired to prevent additional water damage, wet carpeting, gypsum board, and insulation must be removed quickly to prevent mold growth.

The #economy, #environment & #immigration are linked. The increasing frequency/severity of natural hazards & subsequent need for #disaster recovery & #resilience retrofits requires a skilled workforce w/ healthy/safe/just labor protections. Our economies & communities depend on it. bit.ly/3ZhPrgQ