Architect 2016-01

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During a United States presidential campaign dominated by the
discussion of terrorism, immigration, and economic inequality,
there hasn’t been a lot of talk about the built environment. Still,
the candidates have offered some clarity about where they stand
on some issues of vital importance to architects: energy, climate,
taxes, and student debt.
As the two parties settle on their respective nominees and start
drafting their platforms, they’ll begin transition planning well
ahead of the election. That will give outside groups a chance to
educate and inform advisers about top priorities, says Andrew
Goldberg, assoc. aia, managing director for government
relations and outreach at the AIA.“We’re not a single issue kind of
organization,” Goldberg says. “There are a lot of different policies
at the federal level that impact the practice of architecture.”
What follows is a summary of the major policy areas the AIA
will focus on in 2016, as well as early hints of where the various
presidential candidates stand on those issues.
Energy and
Climate
Republican candidate
Democratic candidate
Key legislation
Top Republicans are, by and large, skeptical about the
impact of human activity on climate, if not downright
hostile to the idea. Even those candidates who say they
believe climate change is real, including former Florida
Gov. Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and
Ohio Gov. John Kasich, have expressed doubts about
the degree to which humanity is responsible .
Following the recent congressional decision to
allow exports of U.S. crude, just about any Republican
administration would allow more drilling for oil, jumpstart
the Keystone XL pipeline, and eliminate President
Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan, which seeks to
limit carbon emissions from power plants. For instance,
just before entering the presidential race, Texas
Sen. Ted Cruz introduced a bill called the American
Energy Renaissance Act that, in addition to promoting