Building codes reform: moinmybackyard.substack.comhttps://bsky.app/profile/moinmybackyard.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/moinmybackyard.bsky.social/post/3mrh7mdtwtk2cHas Karen Bass been fighting for transit for all her career? Cuz, um, LA… Also we know she hasn’t because free fares ain’t it. [contains quote post or other embedded content]25 Jul 2026 06:13 +0000at://did:plc:e2sqbsvb6psyyneqho7a6iyb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrh7mdtwtk2chttps://bsky.app/profile/moinmybackyard.bsky.social/post/3mrglmxlcgk2kI feel like this article from 1995 by Law and Beever perfectly sums up what I've been circling around the last few months: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF0130526925 Jul 2026 00:16 +0000at://did:plc:e2sqbsvb6psyyneqho7a6iyb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrglmxlcgk2khttps://bsky.app/profile/moinmybackyard.bsky.social/post/3mrgl7xgqkc2bFire resistance is a cultural convention as much as a scientific measurement. This paper from folks at U of Edinburgh traces the history and consequences of (over?)reliance on this metric. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09505431.2023.2227186#infos-holder25 Jul 2026 00:09 +0000at://did:plc:e2sqbsvb6psyyneqho7a6iyb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrgl7xgqkc2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/moinmybackyard.bsky.social/post/3mrg7v6k4qc2bIBC Chapter 2 (Definitions) is fun because you get an overview of what the codes contemplate. Conveniently, specifics are in Chapter 4 (Special Requirements for Certain Uses). Remember, multifamily urban infill is lumped in with these! Here are some of the most illustrative ones I encountered...24 Jul 2026 20:46 +0000at://did:plc:e2sqbsvb6psyyneqho7a6iyb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrg7v6k4qc2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/moinmybackyard.bsky.social/post/3mrfwpo5iac23For alternative materials approvals, the 2024 IBC added a new peer review section, which the BO can request on top of ESRs.24 Jul 2026 18:01 +0000at://did:plc:e2sqbsvb6psyyneqho7a6iyb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrfwpo5iac23https://bsky.app/profile/moinmybackyard.bsky.social/post/3mrft4f3phk2kLuckily, the IZC is not widely adopted.24 Jul 2026 16:57 +0000at://did:plc:e2sqbsvb6psyyneqho7a6iyb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrft4f3phk2khttps://bsky.app/profile/moinmybackyard.bsky.social/post/3mrdbejhfcc2vOne code reform identified here is reducing wiring requirements which assume power hungry incandescent lights. https://www.cablinginstall.com/cable/article/14280551/fault-managed-power-makes-its-way-into-the-code-and-buildings [contains quote post or other embedded content]23 Jul 2026 16:34 +0000at://did:plc:e2sqbsvb6psyyneqho7a6iyb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrdbejhfcc2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/moinmybackyard.bsky.social/post/3mrambj26rk25My respectable middle class lifestyle is validated by enshrinement into law for everyone, what could go wrong? [contains quote post or other embedded content]22 Jul 2026 15:11 +0000at://did:plc:e2sqbsvb6psyyneqho7a6iyb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrambj26rk25https://bsky.app/profile/moinmybackyard.bsky.social/post/3mraigf2d4c2c“I’m not YIMBY, not NIMBY, but a third thing (NIMBY)” [contains quote post or other embedded content]22 Jul 2026 14:02 +0000at://did:plc:e2sqbsvb6psyyneqho7a6iyb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mraigf2d4c2chttps://bsky.app/profile/moinmybackyard.bsky.social/post/3mr7edhqgwk2dLots of important institutional design aspects of building and safety to think about. https://www.ft.com/content/b0dc64fa-3638-4b38-ad04-778d8e73bdf7?syn-25a6b1a6=122 Jul 2026 03:17 +0000at://did:plc:e2sqbsvb6psyyneqho7a6iyb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mr7edhqgwk2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/moinmybackyard.bsky.social/post/3mqzn2krvr226https://vimeo.com/909102019?fl=pl&fe=vl How the structural engineers (NCSEA) talk about engagement with the code process19 Jul 2026 20:37 +0000at://did:plc:e2sqbsvb6psyyneqho7a6iyb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqzn2krvr226https://bsky.app/profile/moinmybackyard.bsky.social/post/3mqua72sltk2iROAD to housing act has this fun little section tucked in.17 Jul 2026 17:03 +0000at://did:plc:e2sqbsvb6psyyneqho7a6iyb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqua72sltk2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/moinmybackyard.bsky.social/post/3mqpnk5csmc27For a civilian like me, this video series by a structural engineer w/ Santa Clarita were great intros to structural engineering: 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7WC_NmBVos 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVT3dfUxxGY 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzzXG0WPcII 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY9vDoN3JEc15 Jul 2026 21:19 +0000at://did:plc:e2sqbsvb6psyyneqho7a6iyb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqpnk5csmc27https://bsky.app/profile/moinmybackyard.bsky.social/post/3mqpn3j3vic2cGreat graphic to think about what’s the actual impact of the SF Family Zoning Plan. [contains quote post or other embedded content]15 Jul 2026 21:11 +0000at://did:plc:e2sqbsvb6psyyneqho7a6iyb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqpn3j3vic2chttps://bsky.app/profile/moinmybackyard.bsky.social/post/3mqph5x6qd22yI was surprised that an ICC video called Building Codes 101 included a segment where they emphasize that the Governmental Consensus Process is compliant with OMB Circular A-119, the US Standards Strategy for 2005 and the Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995. So I dug in.15 Jul 2026 19:25 +0000at://did:plc:e2sqbsvb6psyyneqho7a6iyb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqph5x6qd22yhttps://bsky.app/profile/moinmybackyard.bsky.social/post/3mqmss6qjzc2m"The code is written in blood" is a dramatic thought-terminating cliche, a way to stop any further questions about tradeoffs and efficacy. It's almost rude to persist after that incantation is invoked. And a reformer should learn how to power through it!14 Jul 2026 18:15 +0000at://did:plc:e2sqbsvb6psyyneqho7a6iyb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqmss6qjzc2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/moinmybackyard.bsky.social/post/3mqms7jdwl22mA lot of cultural discrimination is embedded in our codes.14 Jul 2026 18:04 +0000at://did:plc:e2sqbsvb6psyyneqho7a6iyb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqms7jdwl22mhttps://bsky.app/profile/moinmybackyard.bsky.social/post/3mqlfqnm7nc2eI think we might be surprised by what can be made safe. In Brazil, 70% of households use an electric shower to heat water. It’s jokingly referred to as a death trap but no one really dies from it. Our reflexive safety-brains limit our imagination. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_shower14 Jul 2026 04:49 +0000at://did:plc:e2sqbsvb6psyyneqho7a6iyb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqlfqnm7nc2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/moinmybackyard.bsky.social/post/3mq6itkhlwk2oConstruction productivity has declined (!) in the post-war period while the rest of the economy's productivity has increased! This has made the cost of construction outstrip the overall price index by a lot.09 Jul 2026 01:39 +0000at://did:plc:e2sqbsvb6psyyneqho7a6iyb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq6itkhlwk2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/moinmybackyard.bsky.social/post/3mq6d4t3e7c2pI've caught my instagram algorithm at a very Chinese urban planning time of its life. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaiVy-fufK5/08 Jul 2026 23:57 +0000at://did:plc:e2sqbsvb6psyyneqho7a6iyb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq6d4t3e7c2p