Derek Leavitt, AIA

Housing Architect + Advocate
Recovering Developer + General Contractor
Director of Housing at EYRC Architects

USC✌️ LAFC ⚽️

[Andy Boenau @Boenau]

19% of people aged 20-24 don’t have a driver’s license.

30-40% of people over 85 don’t have a driver’s license.

Planning and designing places that force everyone to be dependent on cars is cruel.

[Derek Leavitt, AIA @architectderek]

Would you walk & ride an escalator to Dodger Stadium instead of taking a gondola?

[Derek Leavitt, AIA @architectderek]

Go Dodgers! Just don’t make me GO to Dodger Stadium — a hellscape of parking and congestion.

There’s talk of a $500 million gondola to fix that.
But is it really the right choice?

There might be a simpler, cheaper, and higher-capacity way to reach the stadium.

[Derek Leavitt, AIA @architectderek]

✅ Predictable 20-minute journey from transit to summit
✅ Constructable in 1–2 years
✅ Minimal visual and privacy impact
✅ Eighty-one home games a year to boost local businesses along the route

[Derek Leavitt, AIA @architectderek]

It seems like an unnecessary requirement and expense. It also makes operating the dumpster more difficult because the lid hits the enclosure ceiling, preventing you from fully opening it to load larger items.

So why require a roof over something that already has a cover?

[Derek Leavitt, AIA @architectderek]

Do you know why Los Angeles requires roofs on trash enclosures?

No, seriously, do you know why? I can't figure it out.

Dumpsters and trash bins already have lids to keep the rain out.

[Derek Leavitt, AIA @architectderek]

What’s wrong with this picture? 

Last weekend, my family and I had breakfast at this restaurant on the boardwalk in Newport Beach. This was our view.

The answer is so obvious, yet we are conditioned to accept it without question.

[Derek Leavitt, AIA @architectderek]

@YIMBYLAND Yes to this. I recently took a ski train from Munich to St. Anton, Austria.

This is a common experience in Europe, that we’re greatly missing here.

[Derek Leavitt, AIA @architectderek]

If the professionals navigating these processes say they need to be fixed, how much more evidence do we need for change?

[Derek Leavitt, AIA @architectderek]

Could you imagine advocating for changes that could put your business at risk?

Yet, this is standard practice for Land Use Consultants (LUCs) in California.

[Derek Leavitt, AIA @architectderek]

The LUCs I know are some of the nicest people in the AEC industry. They genuinely care about improving the system and are well aware that even with reforms, the complexity of their work ensures job security.

[Derek Leavitt, AIA @architectderek]

@_lej44 I received a warning on my phone and an email 36 hours prior to the first fire. It was known.

[Derek Leavitt, AIA @architectderek]

@alexisxrivas It was 71 degrees and sunny today. On February 21st.

[Derek Leavitt, AIA @architectderek]

Happy January 31st, Everyone

#January31 #January