ULI Los Angeles, the UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate, and the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate today released a comprehensive roadmap to support post-wildfire rebuilding efforts in the Los Angeles area.
Within days of the fires, the three institutions formed a Rebuild Advisory Committee. The Project Recovery report, produced by about 100 leading experts in land use, urban planning, and economic development, offers in-depth technical analysis and actionable recommendations to accelerate recovery and build long-term resilience in communities.
“The devastating fires in the Los Angeles area have affected tens of thousands of lives in our community,” said Lew Horne, incoming chair of ULI Los Angeles and president of CBRE Greater Los Angeles, Orange County, and Inland Empire. “ULI, in collaboration with UCLA and USC, is committed to playing a meaningful role in the recovery efforts by mobilizing the private sector to support and partner with the City and County to create solutions to help our region rebuild toward a stronger and more resilient future. I’m grateful to the many industry leaders who volunteered their time and expertise, over countless hours, to join us in this effort.”
Working across several dedicated teams, experts convened by ULI, UCLA, and USC identified major roadblocks to recovery and proposed strategic solutions, including:
- Standardizing debris removal protocols to expedite property owners’ safe return;
- Fast-tracking rebuilding efforts by enhancing government capacity to effectively and efficiently manage the permitting and inspection process;
- Addressing labor and supply chain issues affecting construction logistics and timelines;
- Stabilizing California’s property insurance market to ensure continued coverage;
- Offering mortgage forbearanceto help fire victims who need it return to their communities;
- Introducing Community Rebuilding Authorities (CRAs) to coordinate recovery efforts across impacted areas; and
- Securing funding for infrastructure restoration, with a focus on increased preparedness.
Drawing on ULI’s experience advising disaster-affected communities—including in Colorado after the 2021 Marshall Fire and in New York and New Jersey after Hurricane Sandy—and building on more than a decade of work by ULI’s Urban Resilience program, the report highlights key strategies and best practices that can be adapted for the region. Strategies identified in the report include prioritizing inclusive community engagement, accounting for post-disaster emotional stress in recovery and resilience planning, and incorporating wildfire-resilient vegetation and land-use management practices. Additionally, it highlights the need for an integrated approach to hazard mitigation that supports long-term climate adaptation.
“One of the most crucial aspects of this work is its intended ongoing relevance to the way we build durable communities,” said Stuart Gabriel, director of the UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate and a leader of the Advisory Committee. “This is not the first and certainly will not be the last time climate-related disasters impact our communities. With this framework, Los Angeles can set a new standard for how cities can respond to these events in the future.”
“The magnitude of this crisis could only be addressed through a partnership between community members in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors,” said Richard Green, director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate and a leader of the Advisory Committee, who co-led the finance workstream of the effort. “With loss estimates over $75 billion, the solutions required needed to include everything from FEMA Grants to Tax Increment Financing and countless more instruments to aid in the effort.”
“This work is a service from the real estate community to Los Angeles and provides a blueprint for managing these types of crises around the globe,” said Clare De Briere, member of the ULI Global Board of Directors and founding partner of Catalyst Property Company. “By combining the expertise, passion, and forward-looking vision of industry leaders and other local stakeholders, we’re ensuring that Los Angeles will recover efficiently and more prepared for climate-related challenges in the future.”
The Project Recovery report has been made possible through the generous support of the ULI Foundation. The report, including detailed recommendations and case studies, is available on ULI’s Knowledge Finder platform. As additional insights become available, this report will be updated periodically.
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