How to Engineer Buildings That Withstand Earthquakes

Re:How to Engineer Buildings That Withstand Earthquakes by actionfromafar on Friday February 24, 2023 @06:10AM (#34923300)

But what happened in Turkey is probably to a large extent not only that the cost was too high, but that the builders skimped on rules, but pocketed the difference.

Now in northern Syria, you could argue the cost would have been too large. The alternative there, in the midst of war, was probably in many cases "build incorrectly, or don't build at all and freeze in a tent".

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:How to Engineer Buildings That Withstand Earthquakes by wahern on Friday February 24, 2023 @06:37AM (#34923485)

Good point. I forgot about the corruption angle. Relatedly, in 2020 and 2021 two SF building inspectors were ousted for taking bribes, including bribes for signing off on soft-story reinforcements. And interestingly (which I just learned whilst double-checking my facts), a building inspector was even ousted for being too strict:

> In 2012, the former DBI director Vivian Day resigned, with former Building Inspection Commission member Debra Walker alleging that the resignation was to avoid being ousted at the direction of late Mayor Ed Lee, who felt that Day was too scrupulous about code enforcement.

https://sf.curbed.com/2020/3/11/21174475/tom-hui-fraud-scand...

I wouldn't dare equivocate the corruption issues in SF with those in Turkey--I've traveled enough to understand that the worst corruption in the U.S. doesn't even rise to the level of the day-to-day corruption in countries like Turkey. But poor economics breeds corruption--no political system can enforce economically unviable mandates; it'll break down one way or another.

[ Parent | on HN ]