USA: Big earthquake would topple countless buildings, but many cities ignore the danger
By Rong-Gong Lin II
The Northridge earthquake that hit 25 years ago offered alarming evidence of how vulnerable many types of buildings are to collapse from major shaking.
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Since then, some cities have taken significant steps to make those buildings safer by requiring costly retrofitting aimed at protecting those inside and preserving the housing supply.
But many others have ignored the seismic threat. And that has created an uneven landscape that in the coming years will leave some cities significantly better prepared to withstand a big quake than others.
Other than hospitals, state government has generally not set any mandatory rules for earthquake retrofits, and that has left it up to city and county governments to make decisions about seismic risks.
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“I’m concerned about the prospect of these mandatory costs that we’re passing on — some pretty large costs here, on the order of $10,000 per unit,” said Councilman Tim Goodrich. “Costs aren’t just going to be absorbed by landlords; it’s going to be passed on to residents. And rent has risen astronomically in the last few years.”
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Various cities with rent control have taken different tacks. San Francisco allows all of the cost of a retrofit to be passed down to the tenants, spread over a 20-year period. L.A. splits the cost between owner and tenant, with monthly rent hikes at no more than $38 (the average amount passed on to tenants has actually been around $25). Santa Monica and West Hollywood have decided to bar owners from passing on retrofit costs to tenants.
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