A new report from Hilgard Analytics and Zenith Economics has the numbers behind the turndown complicating LAs multi-pronged housing crunch. According to the available Los Angeles City Council data, the number of new permits this year has fallen 30.7% on pace toward a new five-year low.Permits are on the rise this year only in the eastern precincts of theSan Fernando Valley after a 2022 high in all other City Council districts recorded. This follows news of a flatly less resourceful Planning Department decision on single-family zonings future. The city has to build at least 2.5 million homes to meet demands by the end of the decade. (h/t Urbanize LA.)

The eleventh edition of the AIA International Design Awards program named a brand new group of winners last month as part of the chapters annual conference meeting in Hong Kong. The field, which this year includes five Honor Award recipients and 11 Merit Award selectees, was led by the Firm Award winner T. R. Hamzah & Yeang from Malaysia. Joining them were the seven winners of the special Sustainable Future and Sustainable Future Awards. Five select categories (Architecture, InteriorArchitecture, Urban Design, Unbuilt Design, Open International) helped discern their unique characteristics, with latter being specially created to recognize members for projects that are particularly "respectful of their localculture, unique program and international context."The 2024 AIA International Design Awards jury included former AIA Hong Kong president Grover Dear, Sara Topelson de Grinberg, and the AIA's new President-Elect for 2025 Illya Azaroff.

In just a few years time, the galleries inside the Toledo Museum of Art will look different. Michael Maltzan Architecture, Studio Zewde, and Once-Future Office have been selected by TMA officials to carry out a comprehensive reinstallation.ow.ly/pFwl50U7sP9

A public library designed by UNSANGDONG Architects in South Korea offers a fresh case study in bringing natural light into deep spaces, and wood construction more broadly.A public library designed by UNSANGDONG Architects in South Korea offers a fresh case study in bringing natural light into deep spaces, and wood construction more broadly. Odong Public Library is tucked away in the woods of Seouls Odong Park forest.

WithStarfield: Shattered SpaceandDiablo 4: Vessel of Hatred, weve seen a couple of major first-party Microsoft games getting expansions this year, so clearly, adding to its games with sizeable post-release expansions is something the company isnt against. But is it something that we can expect to see on a regular basis?In an interview with Game File, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer touched on the topic, stating that developing post-launch expansions is by no means a top-down mandate for all first-party studios, and that above all, he doesnt want expansions for games that feel manipulative, and instead add actual value to the larger experience.Its really left to the creators [regarding] what plan they have for their stories, he said. I think its a great way for us to reengage players who may be lapsed.I dont like expansions that are manipulative. I want it to have a unique point of view. I dont want it to be, like, the third level that you cut before you launched.Spencer went on to add that every release continues to be a learning experience even now- like the aforementionedShattered Space, which released earlier this year to divisive responses, with criticism being directed at its lack of new features. Interestingly, as per Spencer, those criticisms led director Todd Howard to wonder whether pairing the expansion with the release of buggies (which were added to the game for free earlier in the year) would have made it seem more substantial.But were always learning, he said. Todd and I were talking about Shattered Space. Starfield is a game I put a ton of hours into and really love, but theyve had this thing where theyve added features throughout the year and then they had an expansion.I think some of the feedback on the expansion is: We wanted more features. And hes like, Well, should we have waited to put buggies out?'Ultimately, however, Spencer says that not every first-party Xbox title is necessarily going to do expansions.I think youre trying to tune both development effort and the impact of the expansion. And I think there will always be a balance to managing the game month to month. But not every game will do expansions.

Payday 3has been nothing short of a disaster fordeveloper Starbreeze Studios. As big of a success as its predecessor was, since its launch last year, the multiplayer shooter has consistently been on the receiving end of criticism from its ever-dwindling player base. Starbreeze itself has stated repeatedly thatPayday 3has been performing below the companys internal expectations and that continued underperformance is now yielding predictable consequences.In its recently published quarterly fiscal report, the developer has announced its plans to significantly decrease investment inPayday 3and its post-launch plans, which doesnt inspire a lot of confidence in the games future.The level of investment duringPayday 3s first year on the market, both through launched DLCs and Operation Medic Bag, has been at an elevated level, Starbreeze says. Ahead of year two, we are confident in being able to continue delivering amounts of value to our players with a significantly lower level of investment.Payday 3has failed to maintain a healthy player base since its release, so Starbreezes decision to pull back support for the shooter doesnt come as a complete surprise, though it should be interesting to see what this means for the studios long-term plans for the game, and for thePaydayfranchise in general.Payday 3is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

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President-elect Donald Trump said on Sunday that intends to name Brendan Carr as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Carr, a commissioner at the FCC since 2017, has made a name for himself by threatening to use the commissions powers to regulate speech online and over the airwaves.Carr authored Project 2025s section on the FCC, using it to propose restrictions on social media platforms meant to bolster conservative speech. He proposed limiting the legal shield that gives websites wide latitude to host and moderate user-generated content. He also suggested putting regulations on tech companies that would limit their ability to block and prioritize that content as they choose.RelatedIn the lead up to the election, Carr threatened to use the commissions powers to punish companies for speech he doesnt like. Just this month, he floated revoking NBCs broadcast license after SNL featured Kamala Harris. As commissioner, he voted to repeal net neutrality rules in 2017 and later voted against restoring net neutrality earlier this year.In an exceptionally vague statement, Trump says Carr will end the regulatory onslaught crippling Americas Job Creators and Innovators. He also says that Carr will ensure that the FCC delivers for rural America.

Were in a pretty good moment for sprawling, complex role-playing games. New releases like Metaphor: ReFantazio and Dragon Age Absolution, along with older titles like Elden Ring (including this years expansion), Cyberpunk 2077, and Baldurs Gate 3 have sucked millions of people into their expansive worlds. They can be all-consuming experiences, offering players all kinds of freedom to explore their worlds and characters. But honestly? Sometimes I dont want to fuss with conversation wheels or make difficult, narrative-altering choices. I just want to go on a big adventure and slowly turn into an overpowered hero fighting monsters and thats where the excellent new remake of Dragon Quest 3 comes in.The game originally came out way back in 1988 (it was initially called Dragon Warrior 3 in North America) and it has a refreshingly straightforward premise: youre on a quest to kill a great evil that your father failed to destroy many years before. There are a few colorful characters, but there isnt a whole lot else to it beyond a quest for revenge. This isnt a game you play for the story. Instead, its about going on adventures, exploring strange and dangerous locations, and killing lots of cute blue slimes.RelatedThat simplicity has stood the test of time rather well, with systems that are easy to grasp while still offering a challenge (even if the regular battles can eventually get tedious). This is a good thing, because the remake doesnt change all that much. The exploration and turn-based battles all still feel largely as they did. This means that the game follows a largely predictable path, as you go from one dungeon to the next, visiting towns in between to rest and gear up for the next challenge. There are some additions, like a new character class that lets you collect monsters, along with additional story scenes to flesh out the barebones narrative.Though its mostly the same as the original, there are major changes to the presentation and some notable quality of life features. To start, this version of Dragon Quest 3 looks incredible. It uses the same visual style as games like Octopatch Traveller and Triangle Strategy, which Square Enix awkwardly calls HD 2D. Basically, these are still games with pixel art characters, but they explore incredibly detailed worlds. The developers then throw in a tilt-shift effect that gives the whole thing a diorama-like appearance. The result is a game that looks decidedly old-school, but in a slick, modern way. I especially love the adorable monster animations in battle. Theres also an updated orchestral score performed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony, along with all-new voice acting.Its more than just an aesthetic overhaul, though. The Dragon Quest 3 remake also makes some very smart tweaks that often make it less frustrating to play. These include a more useful map that makes it easier to find where youre headed, an option to speed up battles so you can grind quicker, and a handful of difficulty options. These may sound small, but theyre the kind of modern conveniences that can make many older games difficult to play, especially ones built around repetitive combat like a classic RPG. Smoothing out those few rough edges has a big impact on the overall feel of a game like Dragon Quest 3.Even though its technically the third game of the series, this version of Dragon Quest is also a great place for newcomers to see what the series is all about (and really, things havent changed all that much over the years). Its a pretty, approachable way to experience an epic quest without getting overwhelmed by story or features. Its just you, some swords and magic, and a whole lot of monsters to defeat. Sometimes, thats all you really need.Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D is available now on the Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.