California’s housing crisis has become one of the most pressing issues of today. From Los Angeles to San Diego, demand has far outpaced supply, driving rents higher and pushing essential workers farther away from the communities they serve. For Elizabeth Carmichael, founder of THE LAB SD (Living Adaptive Build – Sustainable Developments), the solution lies in integrating affordable housing directly into larger developments, while rethinking the design of urban living itself.

Elizabeth Carmichael didn’t set out to become one of Southern California’s most recognized advocates for sustainable urban development. But from her early days in the lush, wooded communities of the Northeast to her role as founder of THE LAB SD (Living Adaptive Build – Sustainable Developments), the seeds of a greener vision were always there, quietly rooted, waiting to grow.

As urban developers search for new ways to meet housing demand, a quiet but powerful shift is happening in how projects are conceived, and it's being led by voices like Elizabeth Carmichael, founder of THE LAB SD (Living Adaptive Build - Sustainable Developments). Once an advocate who had to push eco-consciousness into the design conversation, Carmichael now finds developers actively seeking her out with a new question: "How can I build sustainably and still hit my return on investment (ROI) targets?"