Activating Vitality in the Housing Sector: Spencer B. Kallick hosts Shawn Gehle

As part of the Summer 2025 Allen Matkins / UCLA Anderson Forecast, OFFICEUNTITLED Principal Shawn Gehle joined Allen Matkins Partner Spencer Kallick on the “The Anderson Forecast Survey” podcast to discuss the state and future of housing in California. The episode coincided with the release of the forecast, offering timely insight into the economic and regulatory forces shaping development across the state.

In the conversation, Shawn provided a forward-looking perspective on how architects and developers can respond to a challenging environment marked by rising costs, shifting office vacancies, and mounting regulatory pressure. Drawing from OFFICEUNTITLED’s work, he shared how these constraints are being reframed as opportunities for innovation.

“Cities are reaching a point of financial capitulation,” Shawn said. “The bones of existing buildings can be reused, but their original programs no longer serve community needs. That is where architectural creativity and policy must work together.”

The discussion explored topics from adaptive reuse and office-to-residential conversions to hybrid construction systems and material constraints driven by California’s wildfire recovery efforts. As the availability of traditional wood construction materials tightens, there is a growing need to rethink the dominance of five-over-two stick-frame housing. The conversation pointed toward alternative materials like concrete and steel playing a greater role in the future housing mix.

But material innovation is just part of the equation. “We need to reactivate the social and civic vitality of our cities,” Shawn emphasized. “Public space, housing, recreation, and infrastructure all need to work in unison to bring people back together and support growth.”

The episode offers a compelling look at the creative, policy-driven, and material shifts necessary to meet California’s urgent housing needs.