When Faced with a Wicked Problem

After years of complaining, I decided to pursue a new path.

When faced with a problem, you have three choices:

1. Quit: The problem may be unsolvable, or you may not have the strength to face it or find a solution.

2. Complain: Requires little effort, and you'll find fellow contributors along the way. It's easy to complain.

3. Analyze and Solve: Analysis often sounds like complaining, but it's part of determining the cause of the problem. Solutions are the hard part—the big lift. They take real commitment.

I've encountered these choices in my work on the housing crisis, one of society's wicked problems.

While homelessness is not the only indicator of a housing crisis, it is the most visible indicator. In my home state of California, in 2022, there were 171,000 experiencing homelessness, or about 44 per 10,000 residents, which is 2.5 times the national average.

Beyond the stats, I've experienced the housing crisis as an:

• Architect

• Former Business Owner

• Real Estate Developer

• General Contractor

• Concerned Citizen

At my former company, we focused on designing, developing, and building housing (mostly townhomes) to make a dent in the housing crisis in California -- ten years before the housing crisis hit dinner table conversation.  

Sadly, while we were doing our best to create new housing, it wasn't enough. It took too long and cost too much. We couldn't scale it.  

In the process, we also lost many of our employees to the situation we were trying to solve. They left Los Angeles to escape the escalating cost of housing. These were quality team members with architecture and similar degrees. People who did everything that their parents told them to do:

• Get good grades

• Go to college

• Earn a degree

• Land a job doing what they love

Yet, it wasn't enough for this town. Los Angeles failed them, and in many ways, I feel like I failed them.

Buying a new home or renting a decent place on an architect's salary was not attainable. It was cheaper to leave the state and pursue their dreams elsewhere.  

This housing crisis is overwhelming. I've wanted to quit many times.

Leave Los Angeles.

Find a place that has it all figured out.

Bail on my architecture profession or find a new non-housing sector.

Take an easier road.

But instead of quitting, I found myself complaining.

Complaining about the state of housing over countless lunches, coffees, and happy hours. Sounding off to those who care and those who don't. Complaining can become a sport.

I reached the breaking point of complaining. Like revenge, at the end of the day, it leaves you feeling empty.  

I'm now moving past quitting or complaining, fully committing to Choice 3.

I aim to analyze and solve the housing crisis by writing, drawing, sharing, listening, and learning. I will draw from my experience as an architect, recovering developer, and builder to discuss various causes and solutions to the housing crisis with a sprinkling of urbanism and design.

Solving the housing crisis is not a solo sport. Please join me, fellow collaborators, thought leaders, and doers.

Subscribe to my newsletter to discover what's next. You can expect weekly (at the most) written content and drawings about housing, urbanism, and design.

I take my work very seriously, but never myself.

Sources: The homeless count is from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and The Terner Center for Housing Innovation at the University of California Berkeley.