Perceived Enablers and Barriers of the Los Angeles Non‐Ductile Concrete Seismic Retrofit Ordinance
Journal Article
Overview
abstract
In 2015, the city of Los Angeles adopted one of the most encompassing seismic retrofitting ordinances in the United States, mandating retrofit of, among other structures, non‐ductile reinforced concrete buildings. This ordinance was heralded as a success in improving the seismic safety of building occupants and, hence, resilience for the greater Los Angeles community. However, to date, fewer than 15% of the non‐ductile buildings in Los Angeles have submitted their retrofit plans. The relatively slow progress of retrofit suggests that owners face barriers to retrofitting their buildings that warrant investigation. Accordingly, we conducted semi‐structured interviews to investigate stakeholder perceptions of enablers and barriers under the ordinance. Five primary themes emerged from the interviews: seismic safety, financial, technical, relocation, and governance. Interview participants perceived seismic safety as the primary enabler for retrofitting non‐ductile buildings; financing retrofits was perceived as the greatest barrier. Participants perceived technical issues as a barrier because engineering decisions directly influence retrofitting costs and impacts of resident relocation. Governance is also perceived as a barrier, as participants reported experiencing uncertainty while navigating the ordinance and expressed a desire for more financial incentives. The participants proposed modifications to the ordinance's design philosophy and implementation that they believe could reduce costs for building owners.
