WHAT’S YOUR PRIORITY FOR LOS ANGELES?

Securing Housing for All and Advocacy for New Housing Models + Affordable Housing Guidelines

Matthew Trotter AIA, NOMA, NCARB – Associate, Cunningham & President-Elect, National Organization of Minority Architects, SoCal Chapter (SoCal NOMA)

Catherine Diane Hernandez, Assoc AIA, NOMA – Board Director, National Organization of Minority Architects, SoCal Chapter (SoCal NOMA)

The Challenge:

MT: As an architect born and raised in Inglewood, I believe the major challenge Los Angeles faces is housing. When I reference “housing,” I am also reflecting on the entire process from development through ownership –  where it is located, who has access to obtain it, who has access to own it. As well as, how, in its current state, it impacts low-socio economic communities and marginalized & underrepresented people negatively.

CH: I can personally tell you the vast amount of single family dwellings that are owned by corporations in my community, how our neighbors are displaced by rising rents and the loss of jobs, how bike paths seem to end where our community begins, how bus stops have no shade, lighting, or seating, or how our landlord refuses to make any repairs in a unit where we have resided for over 20 years. Housing is political-  it is the determining factor of work and leisure. Controlling one’s housing is a way to control one’s labor as well as one’s free time, which is why struggles over housing are always in part struggles over autonomy. In today’s housing development plans, it is becoming less about  an infrastructure for living and even more an instrument for financial accumulation. Some writers and housing advocates call  the extreme ways in which housing is dominated by real estate to be “Hyper- Commodification.” Under Hyper – Commodification, all of the material and legal structures of housing- buildings, labor, property rights- are turned into commodities. It creates the opportunities for housing units in my community and others that have historically been disinvested in to not have a dedicated outdoor area, for entries to be enclosed with barbed wires, for evictions to lead to houselessness – becoming the largest growing inequality. 

MT: There are already commendable investments the city of LA has made to address these issues such as transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, and affordable housing. Unfortunately, it is becoming clear that this is not enough. LA’s housing solution can be two-fold – one, a bit more conservative and the other more progressive. A conservative approach would be improving our current systems to maximize their ability to create housing opportunities for the people who need it. Currently, affordable housing tends to be a more difficult undertaking than market rate for developers. Affordable Housing Developers take on more financial risks, difficult funding requirements, and extended schedules. This leads to increased workload and operating costs. This should not be the case for developers who are trying to meet Los Angeles’ desperate demands for affordable housing. There are many reasons for the complex process of constructing affordable housing and some may be out of our control. But, what is in our control, is cleaning up the process in which developers access funding and review for compliance and approval.

CH: But let’s not be constrained by the existing systems. What if we stopped “reimagining” our current systems and instead began implementing more progressive methods, like new housing models that are detached from our traditional capitalistic market? Ownership can be an inherent good for all. It can lead to healthy lifestyles and ownership can be free from the limitations of single family dwellings but also include land trusts, social housing, and tenant-owned buildings. 

Call to Action:

MT: To enhance the good work the city is already doing with our affordable housing efforts, we need to revise our funding application process for developers, including associated design guidelines. Funding and Design guidelines are not entirely consistent from project to project and require in-depth review for every instance of application. When Developers are applying for funding for several projects that are running at the same time, they have to file separate applications for each project, where much of the information is repetitive, and time consuming. Even if there are several funding sources to be able to choose from, each one should not have different guidelines than the other. A comprehensive, consolidated document that governs the guidelines for funding and design, could reduce barriers and increase incentive for affordable housing developers. 

CH: Refining the processes we currently have indeed is helpful, but at the same time, we should also be expanding the way we think about housing solutions. Working from a place of intersectionality and abolition helps us all get closer to actionable solutions and embrace other housing models that are responsive to community needs. Most recently, voters passed into law Measure ULA in November 2022-which was drafted by homeless service providers, affordable housing nonprofits, labor unions, and renters’ rights groups. ULA taxes real estate that sells for more than $5 million in the city of LA and allows to raise funds to reduce homelessness, protect seniors from losing their homes, provides legal aid to renters, and for communities to advocate & have oversight of housing developments. In order to make the best use of these funds we call on members and the AEC Community to join the social housing campaign and people led movements like the LA Housing Movement Lab Coalition. Their current advocacy efforts are calling for the citizen oversight committee to allocate ULA funds to a social housing program that meets people’s vision, needs, and ultimately decomodifies housing. A step towards decommodifying housing will allow us to build housing options like: community land trusts, limited-equity Co-Ops, LIHTC Affordable Housing, and other tenant-owned models. As practicing architects, designers, planners, and engineers we can become allies to these movements and offer our skills to further develop these models.

Matthew Trotter AIA, NOMA, NCARB – Associate, Cunningham & President-Elect, National Organization of Minority Architects, SoCal Chapter (SoCal NOMA)

Matthew is a talented Architect, licensed in the state of California. He exhibits a strong understanding of both technical and artistic design disciplines with experience in a vast number of project typologies. These include community centers, retail, schools, restaurants, theme parks, destination entertainment and hotels.
As Matthew progressed through his architectural career, he has given back to his community through his involvement in the National Organization of Minority Architects. He participated in the planning and execution of the SoCal NOMA Summer Camp for seven years and served on the Executive Board from 2017 to 2021. During his four year tenure, he founded the Developing Professional Group, which is dedicated to empowering minority design professionals in reaching licensure through mentoring, educational seminars, study materials, and financial aid for exam costs. When Matthew stepped down from the director position in 2021, the program had produced seven new SoCal NOMA Architects. The Developing Professional Group is still engaging and supporting aspiring architects in 2023 and beyond. In May of 2023, Matthew was appointed First Vice President/President Elect of SoCal NOMA based on his dedication to the NOMA community, leadership and design excellence.
Matthew’s passion for uplifting communities and culture through thoughtful design has earned him respect and admiration in his firm and in the architecture community. As a leader in his firm, Matthew channels his passion for people and design in a way that makes space for honest, meaningful dialog and outcomes.

Catherine Diane Hernandez, Assoc AIA, NOMA – Board Director, National Organization of Minority Architects, SoCal Chapter (SoCal NOMA)

Catherine Diane Hernandez AIA Associate + NOMA. Born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, Catherine has an extensive background in community organizing, policy, and the built environment. She leads capital investments in Southern California at a non-profit development and architecture studio where she creates service-enhanced PSH, transitional, low income housing, and socially-beneficial community facilities that promote the social, economic and physical transformation of underserved communities. Most recently she completed in partnership with LA County’s Housing for Health, Safe Landings in South LA- a 5-building campus. A First of its kind walk-in facility that provides individuals with medical, mental health care, and a safe sleeping environment as an alternative to incarceration. She is a housing advocate and supports various organizations throughout Southern California ranging from tenant unions to policy development pushing for initiatives like Housing for All. Additionally, she serves on the National Council of Architecture Registration Board Think Tank to share feedback on licensure programs, brainstorm areas for improvement, and strengthen equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts. She also serves as the Community liaison and design strategist for the National Center for Community Organizing where she engages residents in place making workshops, development advocacy/actions, and land trusts. Most recently she serves on the board of SoCal NOMA and supports Architecture for Communities Los Angeles.