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A panel discussion on the state of risk reduction legislation Moderator: David Bonowitz, S.E. - SEAONC Existing Buildings Committee
Track: Mitigation Policy Issues, Strategies and on Going Programs 3
Date: Friday, December 11, 10:30 AM-12:00 PMAt a 2007 NEHRP workshop, leading earthquake professionals said increasing political support for mitigation would be the most effective way to reduce earthquake risk – far more so than improving technical standards and expertise. It is crucial, then, to understand how political will is generated and how risk reduction programs should be put together. After all, our most intractable problems, the ones that will not be solved by voluntary work or code triggers, are typically addressed with ordinances and programs
that are products of legislation.
This session, organized and moderated by the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR), will bring together a panel of policy-makers, government officials, and thought leaders to educate and engage the technical community about how it can contribute most effectively to risk reduction policy.
SPUR’s moderator will introduce the session by framing the issues, which might include questions of how legislation is crafted, the nature of public consensus, and how to measure policy effectiveness. The panel will then address the issues with examples, models, and recommendations. Specific topics are expected to include:
- Windows of opportunity: How to get earthquake risk on the political agenda
- Private buildings, public risk: When should public money be spent on private property?
- Lessons from LEED: Why green is sexy, but seismic isn't (yet)
- What’s worked, what hasn't, and why: San Francisco’s UMB Bond Program, the Hospital Facilities Seismic Safety Act (SB 1953), State and Federal due diligence policies, etc.
For the second half of the session, SPUR will lead the panel in an interactive discussion of how engineers and advocates might understand or present their work to best inform public policy. SPUR is San Francisco's preeminent public policy think tank. Through research, analysis, public education, and advocacy, SPUR promotes good planning and good government.
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