As AIA Arizona Government Affairs Co-Chair, I was pleased to attend the AIA State and Local Government Network (SLGN) Strategic Advocacy Workshop in Minneapolis in November 2024. This was a gathering of advocacy leaders from AIA national, AIA state components, and local AIA chapters to discuss legislative efforts in 2024 with a look ahead to 2025 policy work. The topic of licensure took center stage as many states were dealing with considerations of alternative pathways that have been available for decades in Arizona.
In addition, the housing crisis was a key point of discussion, with a focus on building code reform—a topic where architects have taken a national leadership role. One notable effort is the proposed expansion of the International Residential Code to cover housing up to six units, aimed at encouraging the design and construction of missing middle housing types. Another initiative is single-stair reform, which involves modifying building codes to permit multifamily buildings of up to six stories with a single point of egress, provided safety measures are met. Both reforms share the goal of reintroducing diverse and much-needed housing typologies.
I was able to share recent success in Arizona for Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADUs) development, including the state legislation that passed in 2024 to allow for ADUs statewide, the plans for focused implementation in Tucson and Phoenix, and the ADU design competition that AIA Phoenix Metro recently organized in collaboration with the City of Phoenix.
Building resilience in the wake of climate change was discussed with different regions grappling with the impacts differently. North Carolina, Florida, Texas, and other coastal states were dealing with the impacts of hurricanes and the insurance crisis it was creating. I shared the experience from Arizona regarding water scarcity and heat-related impacts. Among the solutions discussed: building code reform to increase building resilience.
Overall, the program was fruitful as each AIA chapter representative collaborated on their approaches to similar policy priorities nationwide. The AIA Arizona government affairs team is looking forward to using this guidance during the 2025 legislative session to enhance our advocacy on behalf of architects in Arizona.