HI, EVERYBODY. I’M SOLEDAD O’BRIEN. WELCOME TO MATTER OF FACT, THIS WEEK’S SHOW IS ALL ABOUT SEEKING SOLUTIONS. FIRST, AMERICA’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE AN ATTENDANCE PROBLEM. IF WE DON’T ADDRESS THIS ISSUE, WE ARE GOING TO SUFFER HUGE CONSEQUENCES. MILLIONS OF STUDENTS ARE REGULARLY MISSING SCHOOL, JEOPARDIZING THEIR FUTURES AND IMPACTING THE EDUCATION OF THEIR CLASSMATES. WE KNEW WE NEEDED TO CHANGE OUR APPROACH. WE SEE HOW ONE SCHOOL IS TAKING A MORE PERSONAL APPROACH TO GETTING KIDS BACK TO CLASS AND MEDICAL TESTS ARE GIVING PEOPLE INACCURATE RESULTS BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN. THEY’RE UNFAIR, THEY’RE UNJUST, AND THEY’RE FIXABLE. NEW YORK CITY’S CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER ON THE EFFORT TO FIX A LONG RUNNING PROBLEM THAT PUTS LIVES AT RISK. PLUS, THE U.S. HAS MORE PEOPLE BEHIND BARS THAN ANY OTHER NATION. I WAS COMPLETELY ALONE. THAT INCLUDED SARAH MOODY, WHO SPENT MONTHS LOCKED UP, UNABLE TO AFFORD BAIL. CAN AMERICA’S BAIL SYSTEM KEEP THE PUBLIC SAFE WHILE PREVENTING SOMEONE’S WEALTH FROM DETERMINING THEIR FREEDOM? THOSE STORIES RIGHT NOW ON MATTER OF FACT. MILLIONS OF KIDS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE HEADING BACK TO CLASS. BUT STILL, SCHOOLS ARE DEALING WITH A LINGERING ATTENDANCE PROBLEM. AN ESTIMATED 26% OF PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS WERE CONSIDERED CHRONICALLY ABSENT LAST SCHOOL YEAR. CHRONICALLY ABSENT IS WHEN SOMEONE MISSES MORE THAN 10% OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, AND INCLUDES BOTH EXCUSED AND UNEXCUSED ABSENCES. OUR CORRESPONDENT JESSICA GOMEZ VISITED A VIRGINIA SCHOOL DISTRICT RETHINKING ITS STRATEGY FOR GETTING KIDS THROUGH THE DOORS. THIS MORNING, WE ARE GOING TO DO SOME HOME VISITS AT FAIRFIELD COURT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN RICHMOND, VIRGINIA. MARQUIS DAVIS NORMALLY WE DO HOME VISITS WHEN I’M NOT SUCCESSFUL, REACHING OUT TO A PARENT VIA PHONE CALL. MARQUIS IS A FAMILY LIAISON. HIS JOB GETTING KIDS INTO SCHOOL, MR. DAVIS FROM FAIRFIELD ELEMENTARY. THERE ARE TIMES WHERE I MAY MAKE A VISIT AND IT MAY NOT EVEN BE ATTENDANCE FOCUSED. YOU KNOW, IT MAY JUST BE ENGAGEMENT FOCUSED. YOU FEELING YOU OKAY? OR IT MAY JUST BE A RIDE TO SCHOOL. YOU KNOW, TODAY’S PICTURE DAY AS WELL. YEAH. WE WANT THAT RELATIONSHIP TO START WITH THE FAMILIES IN THEIR HOMES, IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. WHAT SPECIFIC ACTIONS WILL GET US THERE? DOCTOR SHADAE HARRIS IS THE CHIEF ENGAGEMENT OFFICER WITH RICHMOND PUBLIC SCHOOLS. SHE’S BEHIND AN EFFORT TO CHANGE THE WAY THEY VIEW ATTENDANCE HERE. HOW YOU MAKE PEOPLE FEEL MATTERS. IT’S A BIG DOG. HOW YOU FEEL. ALREADY STRUGGLING WITH ATTENDANCE, RICHMOND SAW THE NUMBERS SKYROCKET AFTER THE PANDEMIC AT FAIRFIELD COURT, NEARLY HALF OF THE STUDENTS WERE CHRONICALLY ABSENT THAT FIRST YEAR BACK. PRINCIPAL ANGELA WRIGHT. WE NEEDED TO FIND OUT WHY THEY WEREN’T COMING BACK IN THE BUILDING. WHAT’S THAT BARRIER FOR PREVENTING YOU TO COME IN? HOW CAN WE GET YOU IN THOSE DOORS SO YOU ALWAYS ROUND UP THE DISTRICT NOW, KEEPING BETTER TRACK OF WHY STUDENTS ARE MISSING SCHOOL, INCLUDING INFORMATION FROM THE MORE THAN 40,000 HOME VISITS. SO FAR. MR. DAVIS FAIRFIELD ELEMENTARY FAMILY LIAISON AND BEEFED UP ATTENDANCE TEAMS CONNECTING FAMILIES WITH COMMUNITY RESOURCES THAT MIGHT HELP. I THINK THERE’S THE IDEA THAT IF YOUR CHILD IS MISSING 20, 30, 40 DAYS OF SCHOOL, YOU JUST DON’T CARE. AS A PARENT. IS THAT TRUE? IT WASN’T THAT FAMILIES DID NOT CARE ABOUT THEIR EDUCATION, IT WAS THAT THERE WERE REAL BARRIERS IN THEIR LIVES THAT THEY WERE STRUGGLING WITH AROUND HEALTH CARE, HOUSING, JOB SECURITY, FOOD SECURITY. IT’S NOT JUST THE 30% OF KIDS WHO ARE CHRONICALLY ABSENT WHO ARE BEING AFFECTED. NOW. HEDY CHANG IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE EDUCATION NONPROFIT ATTENDANCE WORKS, WHICH TRACKS NATIONAL ATTENDANCE DATA AND CONSULTS DISTRICTS ON HOW TO KEEP KIDS IN SCHOOL DURING THE PANDEMIC. WE TOLD FAMILIES STAY HOME FOR ANY SYMPTOM OF ILLNESS AND THAT IS NOT WHAT WE NEED NOW. WE NEED KIDS TO BE BACK INTO A ROUTINE OF GOING TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY. WHEN THAT DOESN’T HAPPEN, SHE SAYS. LIKE IN RICHMOND, THE FOCUS SHOULD BE ON RELATIONSHIP BUILDING, NOT DISCIPLINE. ONCE YOU START WITH PUNITIVE APPROACHES, YOU DRIVE FAMILIES AWAY AT THE VERY MOMENT WHEN YOU HAVE TO FORGE A STRONG PARTNERSHIP AND WHEN THAT PARTNERSHIP BREAKS DOWN, EVEN RICHMOND JUDGE MARY LANGER IS CHANGING HER APPROACH, MOVING HER COURTROOM TO ONE OF THE MIDDLE SCHOOLS ONCE A MONTH, ORDERING FAMILIES WITH EXTREME ABSENCES TO ACCESS COMMUNITY SERVICES LINING THE HALLWAY BEFORE ISSUING HARSHER CONSEQUENCES. THIS ISN’T A PUNISH YOUR WAY OUT OF IT. IT REALLY IS A TRY TO OFFER SOME SUPPORTS THAT HELPS TO BOOST PEOPLE UP TO TO BE ABLE TO PUT THEIR CHILD IN SCHOOL THE WAY THEY NEED TO BE. YOU SPEAK TO THE LADY WITH THE BALLOON SITTING OUTSIDE, THESE STRATEGIES STARTING TO PAY OFF AT FAIRFIELD. CHRONIC ABSENCES HAVE DECREASED BY MORE THAN 50% SINCE THAT FIRST YEAR BACK. IT’S REALLY JUST JUST SHOWING UP. IT’S REALLY JUST SHOWING UP, SHOWING UP FOR MARKISE DAVIS, IT’S A LONG TERM STRATEGY, SO I JUST WANT TO TOUCH BASE. SO WITH THE FIVE DAYS MISSED, IF I CAN MAKE ONE PERSON SMILE, IF I CAN JUST MAKE A SLIGHT DIFFERENCE IN ONE OF MY FAMILY’S LIVES EVERY DAY, THEN I’VE DONE MY JOB. YES, OF COURSE, IF YOU NEED ME, YOU KNOW, JUST SEND ME A TEXT, GIVE ME A CALL. OKAY. IN RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, FOR MATTER OF FACT, I’M JESSICA GOMEZ COMING UP ON MATTER OF FACT, LIFE FOR SARAH MOODY IS PRETTY UNEVENTFUL, RIGHT NOW. I WAKE UP, GO TO WORK, LISTEN TO MUSIC, WATCH TV. I CROCHET WHILE GETTING TO THAT CALMER LIFE CAME AT A HIGH PRICE, AND ONE IDEA FOR LOWERING HOUSING COSTS BUILD MORE OF IT. FIND OUT IF YOU COULD SEE ZONING REFORM EFFORTS IN YOUR TOWN. BUT FIRST, A BIAS TEST HAS KEPT THOUSANDS OF BLACK PATIENTS FROM GETTING DESPERATELY NEEDED KIDNEY TRANSPLANTS. I TALKED TO NEW YORK CITY’S CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER ABOUT WHAT’S BEING DONE TO STOP THE RACIAL DISPARITIES IN THE MEDICAL FIELD. YOU’RE WATCHING MATTER OF FACT, AMERICA’S NUMBER ONE NATIONALLY SYNDICATED PUBLIC AFFAIRS NEWS WE CONTINUE OUR FOCUS ON THE HARD WORK OF FINDING SOLUTIONS WITH A CONVERSATION ABOUT CREATING MORE ACCURATE AND FAIR MEDICAL TESTING. FOR YEARS, THOUSANDS OF PATIENTS WERE INACCURATELY TOLD THAT THEY DIDN’T NEED A KIDNEY TRANSPLANT. THESE PATIENTS WERE BLACK, AND THE TEST USED TO DETERMINE KIDNEY FUNCTION OVERESTIMATED THE HEALTH OF THE KIDNEYS OF BLACK PEOPLE. GETTING HOSPITALS TO STOP USING THAT TEST HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE. A CHALLENGE THAT DOCTOR MICHELLE MORSE HAS TAKEN ON. SHE’S THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK, DOCTOR MORSE, IT’S SO NICE TO HAVE YOU IN STUDIO WITH ME. THESE TESTS, ARE THEY USED EVERYWHERE? INTERESTINGLY, THIS KIDNEY FUNCTION CALCULATION WAS THE GOLD STANDARD FOR EVERY LABORATORY ACROSS THE WHOLE ENTIRE COUNTRY. UNTIL VERY RECENTLY. AND THIS GETS AT THE VERY HEART OF THE ISSUE IS BLACK. A BIOLOGICAL CATEGORY OR NOT? IS RACE A BIOLOGICAL CATEGORY OR NOT? AND EVERYTHING TELLS US THIS IS A SOCIAL AND POLITICAL CATEGORIZATION, NOT A BIOLOGICAL ONE. AND IN FACT, BECAUSE OF THAT, THIS CALCULATION LED TO A LOT OF INACCURACIES FOR PEOPLE’S KIDNEY FUNCTION THAT DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED BLACK PEOPLE AND DELAYED THEIR CARE. WE’VE DONE OTHER STORIES ON SORT OF THESE RACIAL INJUSTICE IN IN HEALTH CARE. ARE THERE JUST MANY, MANY EXAMPLES? AND WHERE DO THEY COME FROM? OFTEN WHAT YOU SEE IN MEDICAL SCHOOL IS WE ARE TRAINED ON A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ALGORITHMS THAT USE RACE IN A WAY THAT CONFLATES RACE WITH BIOLOGY, AND THAT’S WHAT REALLY HAS TO CHANGE AND BE ROOTED OUT OF MEDICAL NURSING. AND OTHER MEDICAL PROFESSIONS. UNFORTUNATELY, THAT TAKES A LONG TIME. AND WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO SAY IS THAT WE’RE NOT SAYING THAT RACE SHOULD NEVER BE USED IN ALGORITHMS. IN FACT, IT CAN BE A TOOL TO ADVANCE RACIAL JUSTICE AND HEALTH EQUITY IF IT’S USED IN A WAY THAT ACTUALLY ACKNOWLEDGES THE INEQUITIES IN HEALTH OUTCOMES. BUT MOST OF THE ALGORITHMS THAT WE’VE LOOKED AT, AND THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF PUBLICATIONS IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS DEMONSTRATING HOW RACE IS MISUSED IN THESE ALGORITHMS IN A WAY THAT ACTUALLY NORMALIZES RACIAL INEQUITIES WHEN THEY’RE NOT NORMAL, THEY’RE COMPLETELY FIXABLE. BUT WE’RE NOT THERE YET. REALISTICALLY, HOW FAR AWAY ARE WE? WE’VE GOT A WAYS TO GO. SO ONE OF THE REASONS THAT WE’RE DOING THE WORK IN NEW YORK CITY THAT WE’RE DOING IS BECAUSE AVERAGE EVIDENCE TELLS US THAT IT TAKES ABOUT TEN YEARS FOR US TO GO FROM RESEARCH TO MAINSTREAM PRACTICE, CHANGE. AND WE FELT LIKE THIS CANNOT WAIT FOR TEN YEARS. WE CAN’T WAIT FOR EVERYONE TO SLOWLY BUT SURELY CHANGE THEIR PRACTICE. IT HAS TO BE ACCELERATED. HOW QUICKLY, IF AT ALL, DOES THAT, THEN TRANSLATE OUT OF NEW YORK CITY? THERE ARE ALWAYS I WOULD SAY, A GAP IN SOLUTIONS WHEN IT COMES TO HEALTH INEQUITIES. WE’RE RELATIVELY GOOD AT DESCRIBING THE PROBLEM, BUT WE FIND IT. OFTEN VERY HARD TO TAKE ACTION TO MAKE THE CHANGES. THE CENTER, WHICH I NOW LEAD, HAS REALLY HELPED TO CREATE. I WOULD SAY, A TOOLKIT OF PRACTICES TO MAKE THESE CHANGES. WE WERE VERY EXCITED TO LAUNCH IN 2021. THE FIRST EVER COALITION OF ITS KIND. IT’S CALLED CIRCA THE COALITION TO END RACISM IN CLINICAL ALGORITHMS. AND WHAT WE’RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT IS THAT SEVERAL OTHER CITIES NOW ARE STARTING TO THINK ABOUT SIMILAR COALITIONS. SO SOMETHING SOMEWHAT SIMILAR HAS BEEN LAUNCHED IN PHILADELPHIA, ANOTHER IN SAINT LOUIS. AND WE’VE HAD LOTS OF CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHO ARE THEMSELVES ALSO TRYING TO ACCELERATE THESE CHANGES. WE CANNOT WAIT TEN YEARS FOR THE CHANGES IN THESE ALGORITHMS TO HAPPEN. WE NEED TO SEE THAT CHANGE YESTERDAY, DOCTOR MICHELLE MORRIS, THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME NEXT ON MATTER OF FACT, HIS JOB DECIDING WHETHER TO SET BAIL AND FOR HOW MUCH. THAT’S THE ONLY WAY I CAN ENSURE THAT THE COMMUNITY IS SAFE. THE EFFORT TO BALANCE PUBLIC SAFETY AND PERSONAL FREEDOMS, PLUS ZONING REFORM, HAS BEEN HAILED AS A POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO AMERICA’S HOUSING CRISIS. WHILE I APPLAUD THE CITIES WHO ARE DOING WORK, WE NEED STATE OR FEDERAL LEGISLATION TO ULTIMATELY ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM. WHY? EXPERTS SAY SO FAR, EFFORTS ARE FALLING SHORT. CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM MATTERS TO VOTERS IN KEY BATTLEGROUND STATES. A NATIONAL POLL BY FORMER U.S. REVEALED 78% OF LIKELY VOTERS WANT CHANGES TO THE CURRENT SYSTEM. ONE OF THOSE CHANGES INCLUDES BAIL REFORM. NEARLY HALF A MILLION AMERICANS ARE BEHIND BARS, EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVEN’T BEEN CONVICTED OF A CRIME. THAT’S BECAUSE THEY’RE STILL WAITING FOR TRIAL AND CAN’T AFFORD BAIL. AT LEAST TEN STATES HAVE CHANGED THEIR BAIL LAWS IN MICHIGAN, ADVOCATES WANT THEIR STATE TO DO THE SAME. OUR CORRESPONDENT DAN LIEBERMAN TRAVELED THERE TO TALK TO THOSE PUSHING FOR CHANGE AND THOSE WHO SAY ANY CHANGE PUTS PUBLIC SAFETY AT RISK. I WAS 17 YEARS OLD. I HAD NEVER BEEN IN TROUBLE BEFORE THIS DAY, AND NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN I’M GOING TO A JAIL. 21 YEAR OLD SARAH MOODY’S LIFE TURNED UPSIDE DOWN. THE SUMMER BEFORE HER SENIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL, WHEN SHE WAS ARRESTED. I WAS GOING TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH ONE OF MY FRIENDS. WE PULLED INTO THE PARKING LOT. HE SAW A GUY THAT HE HAD PROBLEMS WITH AS WE WERE DRIVING OFF, HE ROLLED DOWN THE WINDOW AND ALL I HEARD WAS BANG, BANG. MOODY WAS DRIVING THE CAR WHEN HER FRIEND FATALLY SHOT SOMEONE FROM THE BACK SEAT. I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO, SO I JUST KEPT IT TO MYSELF. AND THE NEXT DAY THE POLICE ARRIVED AND THEY ARRESTED ME. SARAH’S BOND WAS SET AT $7,500, AN AMOUNT SHE COULDN’T AFFORD. WHAT WENT THROUGH YOUR MIND WHEN YOU HEARD THAT NUMBER? I’M NEVER GOING HOME. SHE WAS EVENTUALLY BAILED OUT BY A NONPROFIT, BUT NOT BEFORE SPENDING THREE MONTHS ISOLATED IN A JAIL CELL. I STAYED IN MY CELL FOR MOST OF THE DAY. ALL I COULD REALLY DO WAS STARE AT THE WALLS. MOODY RECEIVED AT LEAST ONE VIOLENT FELONY CHARGE, BUT DAVID GASPAR OF THE BAIL PROJECT, THE ORGANIZATION THAT PAID HER BAIL, SAYS SHE DIDN’T BELONG IN JAIL. A TRAGIC INCIDENT TOOK PLACE, BUT IT DIDN’T NEGATE THE FACT THAT SHE HAS CONSTITUTIONAL PROTECTIONS TO DUE PROCESS. THERE ARE TOO MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE IN CUSTODY FOR NON ASSAULTIVE CRIMES WITH NO HISTORY OF FLIGHT RISK, AND THE ONLY REASON THAT THEY’RE IN JAIL IS BECAUSE OF A CASH BOND BEING SET. LARRY WILLIAMS IS A JUDGE AT THE 36TH DISTRICT COURT IN DETROIT. THE 36TH DISTRICT COURT IN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN IS NOW IN SESSION. THE COURT REFORMED ITS BAIL PRACTICES LAST YEAR AFTER IT WAS THE SUBJECT OF A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT. WHAT HAPPENS NOW IS FOLKS ARE MAKING AN ARGUMENT ON BOTH SIDES WHETHER SOMEBODY NEEDS TO BE IN CUSTODY OR NOT. WE REALLY GET TO THE HEART OF WHO NEEDS TO BE IN CUSTODY AND WHO DOESN’T. I DO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS RISK OF HARM TO THE COMPLAINING WITNESS AT THIS CASE. SO BOND IS GOING TO REMAIN THE SAME. THERE IS BAIL SET IN A COUPLE INSTANCES IN YOUR COURT TODAY. HOW DO YOU MAKE THOSE DECISIONS? I HAVE TO SET THIS BAIL. THAT’S THE ONLY WAY I CAN ENSURE THAT THE COMMUNITY IS SAFE. THE VAST MAJORITY OF OUR CASES ARE NOT SITUATIONS WHERE IT CREATES A HARM TO THE PUBLIC. AND IN THOSE SITUATIONS, WE TRY TO NOT USE CASH BONDS. BUT SARAH MOODY WASN’T ARRESTED IN JUDGE WILLIAMS’S JURISDICTION. SHE LIVES JUST OVER THE DETROIT BORDER IN MACOMB COUNTY, WHERE THE SHERIFF SAYS A CASE LIKE HERS FITS THE CRITERIA FOR BAIL AND JAIL TIME. IN THAT SITUATION WHERE YOU HAVE A VIOLENT FELONY, WHERE A LIFE WAS LOST UNDER THE SAME CIRCUMSTANCES, SHE WOULD PROBABLY STILL BE HERE. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT EVERYONE WHO’S IN CUSTODY, WHO’S IN YOUR CUSTODY RIGHT NOW, NEEDS TO BE HERE? I WOULD SAY 100%, SHERIFF ANTHONY WICKERSHAM SAYS HE BELIEVES CASH BAIL IS A NECESSARY TOOL THAT KEEPS THE PUBLIC SAFE. BAIL, BASICALLY, IS TO ENSURE THAT THEY’RE GOING TO SHOW UP FOR COURT. THEY HAVE SKIN IN THE GAME THAT THEY’RE GOING TO LOSE CASH. BAIL IS DEFINITELY NOT REQUIRED IN ORDER TO ENSURE SOMEBODY’S RETURN TO COURT. OVER 90% OF THE PEOPLE THAT WE’VE SERVED HAVE RETURNED TO THEIR COURT DATE SUCCESSFULLY, NOT BECAUSE THEY HAD MONEY ON THE LINE, BUT BECAUSE THEY GOT THE PROPER REMINDERS. THEY GOT THE PROPER TRANSPORTATION. SARAH MOODY EVENTUALLY TOOK UP A PLEA DEAL. SHE REMAINED ON PROBATION AND ELECTRONIC MONITORING FOR NINE MONTHS. WHAT EFFECT HAS ALL THIS HAD ON YOUR LIFE? IT KIND OF KILLED A PART OF ME. SOMETIMES PEOPLE END UP IN REALLY JACKED UP SITUATIONS, BUT CASH BAIL IS NOT THE WAY TO GO. FOR MATTER OF FACT, I’M DAN LIEBERMAN IN MICHIGAN AHEAD ON MATTER OF FACT, LIKE MANY CITIES, MINNEAPOLIS WAS RUNNING OUT OF HOUSING, SO IT MADE A MAJOR CHANGE. COULD ITS ZONING REFORM EFFORTS SERVE AS A BLUEPRINT FOR ELSEWHERE? PLUS, YOU CAN FEEL THE TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE, AND THAT’S THE MOST AMAZING THING. ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE THROUGH ARCHITECTURE TO STAY UP TO DATE WITH MATTER OF FACT, SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER AT WELCOME BACK TO MATTER OF FACT. WE’VE TALKED AT LENGTH ON THIS SHOW ABOUT AMERICA’S HOUSING CRISIS. IT’S ESTIMATED THAT THE COUNTRY IS SHORT, SOMEWHERE BETWEEN FOUR AND 7 MILLION HOMES. SO WHAT CAN BE DONE TO FIX THIS? WELL, SOME CITIES ARE TURNING TO ZONING REFORM, BASICALLY CHANGING THE RULES ABOUT WHAT CAN BE BUILT AND HOW AND WHERE. FOR EXAMPLE, THEY COULD ALLOW MULTI-FAMILY HOMES TO BE BUILT IN NEIGHBORHOODS THAT TRADITIONALLY HAVE ONLY HAD SINGLE FAMILY DWELLINGS, OR THEY COULD STREAMLINE THE PERMITTING PROCESS FOR BUILDERS. MINNEAPOLIS HAS LED THE WAY ON ZONING REFORM. IN A FIVE YEAR PERIOD, THE STATE OF MINNESOTA’S RENT INCREASED 14%, BUT THE CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS HAS INCREASE WAS JUST 1%. STEPHEN MENENDIAN IS THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AT UC BERKELEY’S OTHERING AND BELONGING INSTITUTE. ANYTHING YOU DO THAT CAN LOOSEN UP THE COST OR EXPEDITE DEVELOPMENT CAN OFTEN MAKE HOUSING ALSO MORE AFFORDABLE. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU HAVE A CONDOMINIUM OR AN APARTMENT BUILDING AND THERE’S A REQUIREMENT OF 1 TO 1 OR MAYBE EVEN MORE THAN THAT, PARKING TO UNIT AND YOU WAIVE THAT, THAT MEANS YOU DON’T NEED TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, A LARGE PORTION OF THE DEVELOPMENT ALLOCATED OR EARMARKED FOR PARKING STALLS. SO THOSE KINDS OF THINGS REALLY HELP. ZONING DOES COME WITH COMPLEXITIES AND IT IS A SLOW PROCESS. SEVERAL CITIES AND MUNICIPALITIES HAVE NOT MOVED FORWARD WITH THEIR PLANS BECAUSE OF LEGAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES. STILL AHEAD ON MATTER OF FACT, BUILT TO BE COOL. LITERALLY, THE BEST PART IS ACTUALLY TO EXPERIENCE IT. HOW ARCHITECTS ARE HARNESSING SELF-COOLING DESIGN TO COUNTER THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATEAND FINALL HOTTEST JULY EVER RECORDED. THE SUSTAINED HOT WEATHER IS CREATING A GROWING DEMAND FOR NEW WAYS TO COOL OUR HOMES AND BUSINESSES. A PILOT PROJECT IN HOUSTON IS REPLICATING A CENTURIES OLD CONSTRUCTION METHOD. IT’S CALLED PASSIVE DESIGN. PASSIVE DESIGN RELIES ON NATURE FOR CLIMATE CONTROL. THE BUILDING HAS SCALLOPED SHAPED AWNINGS AND WALLS THAT LOOK LIKE CORRUGATED CARDBOARD. THE DEEP VERTICAL GROOVES PUSH HEAT AWAY FROM THE SURFACE, AND ENGINEERS BEHIND THE PROJECT SAY THE CORRUGATIONS COULD STAY 18 DEGREES COOLER THAN THE FLAT WALLS WERE USED TO. PHUHOANG IS CO-FOUNDER OF MODO, THE ARCHITECTURE FIRM THAT DESIGNED THE BUILDING. IT’S A MULTI-LAYERED APPROACH. THERE ARE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS. WE HAVE THE SELF-COOLING WALLS, WE HAVE THESE VERTICAL FINS THAT PROVIDE SHADING, BUT WE ALSO INTEGRATE THAT WITH THE LANDSCAPE AND THAT’S VERY IMPORTANT TO THE PROJECT, WHICH IS THAT IT’S BOTH ARCHITECTURE AND LANDSCAPE INTEGRATED TOGETHER. SIMILAR PROJECTS ARE MOVING AHEAD IN OTHER STATES. ARCHITECT RENE GONZALEZ, WHO’S BEHIND THIS HOME IN FLORIDA, SAYS THE INVESTMENT IS WORTH IT. WHILE THE BUILDING COSTS MORE THAN TRADITIONAL STRUCTURES, ENERGY BILLS CAN BE REDUCED BY 90%, SO POTENTIALLY GOOD FOR YOUR FINANCES AND GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT. THAT’S IT FOR THIS EDITION OF MATTER OF FACT, I’M SOLEDAD O’BRIEN. I’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE NEXT WEEK TO WATCH MORE STORIES LIKE THIS ANYTIME, HEAD TO MATTEROFFACTTV.