North American buildings are built different — literally. Councilmember Jesse Zwick explains how the organization behind our unusual standards is built to fail, and he makes the case for a new approach. This is part 3 of our series on misaligned incentives in housing policy. 

Show notes:

• Zwick, J. (2025). Out of Code: The Hidden Costs of US Building Standards.
• Episode 78 of UCLA Housing Voice, on the relationship between building height and construction costs (in the US).
• Wikipedia article on the Grenfell Tower fire in London.
• Stephen Smith’s Slate article about elevator building codes.
• Episode 98 of UCLA Housing Voice, on elevator building code in the US and Canada.
• Strong Towns article featuring the quote by Lawrence Veiller.