Los Angeles has a moonshot opportunity to rebuild after fires

Los Angeles is recovering from the devastating wildfires. Environmental engineers, urban planners, and experts in natural disasters are all casting visions for what might come next.

Where parking lots and strip malls once existed, apartment buildings could be built, and locals would walk to shops, offices, and cafes on the ground floor, European-style.

It would be better to "infill" the city vertically with affordable housing in safe downtown areas rather than spreading outwards and adding more single-family houses on fire-prone hillside.

Some blocks could become buffer zones where building is prohibited. The city's palm trees that burn like Roman Candles could be replaced by native fire-resistant trees.

Here are some bold ideas that academics have to help Los Angeles recover from the Eaton & Palisades Fires. These fires killed 28 people, damaged or destroyed 16,000 buildings and caused significant damage. The blazes combined charred an area of 59 square miles (152 square kilometers), which is larger than Paris.

Many people are only just now allowed to return to their destroyed neighborhoods. Few of the dozen experts interviewed expected that their dream plans would be implemented when construction began. They cited factors such as lack of insurance coverage in the future and political pressures to rebuild like before.

Experts in housing, urban development and climate change said Los Angeles still has the chance to think out of the box. There was also a consensus that there shouldn't be a rush to rebuild. Residents of Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and surrounding areas should have time to dream and decide on the future look of their communities.

Emily Schlickman is an assistant professor of landscape design and environmental planning at the University of California Davis. She suggests moving away from areas that are prone to fire.

MODEL CITIES

Jeffrey Schlegelmilch, of Columbia University, suggested that Los Angeles could take a lesson from Kobe, Japan. The city was decimated in 1995 by an earthquake and officials there imposed a building moratorium for two months.

"Giving yourself enough time to develop a solid solution is important," said Schlegelmilch. He's the director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, located at the climate school of the university.

Houston's Harris County, Texas and San Antonio, Texas have both purchased homes and property to reduce the risk of future flooding. Harris County authorities demolished homes that were flooded by Hurricane Harvey and offered them pre-flood values to willing sellers.

Char Miller, professor of environmental history and analysis at Pomona College, Claremont, California is one of those who point out Texas' experience. Miller stated that while purchasing properties in Pacific Palisades or Altadena could be expensive, they would be feasible with financial support from the city, the county, the state, and perhaps insurers.

Miller envisions converting burned-out lots into fire buffer zones. Miller believes that while the move would disrupt residents, many would use the money for relocation.

People say, "Yeah. I don't wanna be in danger. And you're buying my out." Miller replied, "Thank you.

He is frustrated by the city's and state's efforts to speed up redevelopment of areas where similar density housing was burned.

Miller continued, "They have just stopped the moonshot."

Alice Hill, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations for energy and environment, would like to see more green space, such as playing fields and bicycle paths, between areas with high fire risk and homes.

In an essay published on Jan. 14, Hill said that it was "simply unsafe" to rebuild the communities in their original locations. Retreating could be the best approach.

A LITTLE PANACHE

Some experts recommend rebuilding communities in a manner that is resistant to fire.

Michael Gollner is a professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California in Berkeley.

Gollner tests the flame resistance of prototype homes. He said that homes can be made fire-resistant by moving the wooden fence five feet back (1.5 meters), encircling a home with gravel, and placing mesh over attic ventilation to stop embers.

There is also landscaping, which can be a controversial topic for some homeowners.

Who wants to cut their juniper down? "But if there is a wildfire your juniper will be a torch," Gollner said.

Los Angeles ecologists recommend that residents replace palms, junipers, and eucalyptus trees with California oaks. These trees have evolved to survive fires. The species is characterized by thick bark which resists fires, and leathery leaves which burn slowly.

Alexandra Syphard is a wildfire ecologist with the Conservation Biology Institute in San Diego.

Hussam Mahmoud is a professor of civil and environmental engineering, at Colorado State University. He believes that the key to predicting future fires lies in predicting their path.

He developed a model to calculate which buildings would burn. This allows a community, instead of adapting every home to resist wildfires, to harden the "super-spreader" structures.

To harden a house, use metal or concrete as a roof material and fire retardant materials for the walls. The heat is less likely to cause the glass to crack and burn a house from the inside if you use multi-paned windows.

Mahmoud said, "When the fires struck L.A. it was clear that no one knew what would happen. Which buildings were most likely to burn." Reporting by Andrew Hay and Brad Brooks, Colorado and New Mexico respectively; editing by Paul Thomasch and Sandra Maler

(source: Reuters)