Advocacy Update – March 2026

This Month in Advocacy: Welcome to our new AIA Seattle Advocacy Manager; Local Advocacy Opportunities; State Legislation Session wins; and National Advocacy News.

Welcome AIA Seattle Advocacy Manager, Rachel Gilchrist!

Rachel is an Advocacy Manager with a background in organizing for social justice issues. She is experienced in translating complex policies for the public, mobilizing people, and building collective power to create a better world. At AIA Seattle, she engages members in advocacy and stewards relationships with members, stakeholders, and policymakers to improve our built environment and the profession of architecture.

Local Advocacy Opportunity

Share your thoughts – City of Seattle Centers and Corridors Legislation
Seattle City Council will begin hearing public comments next month on Centers and Corridors, the next step in implementing the One Seattle Plan. AIA Seattle supports legislation that will:

Increase potential places to create housing in neighborhoods across the city
Align and simplify development standards to eliminate administrative friction
Remove barriers to project feasibility that stall development
Strengthen transparency to housing production and community impacts to support evaluation

There are upcoming opportunities to advocate for more housing including meeting with a Councilmember, speaking at an upcoming public hearing, or being added to the Comp Plan Work Group meetings. Fill out this form to let us know how you’d like to be involved: AIA Seattle Member Form: Centers & Corridors Legislation.

State Legislation Session Ends with Multiple Wins

During this year of statewide attention on Washington’s budget constraints, AIAWA Council advocated for the profession, climate, and livable communities in Olympia. Multiple bills will eliminate friction, liability or funding limits for work in the profession. Going into law are adjusted standards to bring more housing online by changing requirements for elevators and stairs, eliminating restrictions on residential housing development in commercial zones, and eliminating some liabilities in condominium development, to name a few. Read the end of session wrap up message from AIAWA Council for a summary of the 2026 Legislative Session.

National Advocacy News

AIA is amplifying your voice at the national level to value historic spaces, ensure access to loans for architectural studies and support housing policy.

The National Capital Planning Commission delayed its March 5 vote on President Trump’s proposed White House ballroom after receiving a surge of critical public comments regarding cost, priorities, and process from AIA National and AIA DC and other stakeholder groups.
AIA and partner organizations submitted detailed comments to the U.S. Department of Education urging recognition of architecture as a professional degree for federal loan purposes, aiming to keep advanced degrees accessible to students from modest-income backgrounds. Take a minute to share your views with your elected officials in DC.
In federal housing policy, the Senate introduced the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, combining elements of previous Senate and House proposals, with reconciliation of the two bills anticipated later this year. AIA continues to monitor these developments to advocate for priorities in both housing and architecture policy.