Architects and critics call for deadly LA fires to "trigger a rethink" in development practices

The deadly wildfires are prompting architects and critics to call for changes to how development is carried out in Los Angeles.

Frustrated with irresponsible development practices in the face of fire threats, dozens of architects and critics have speculated on ways that architecture and urban planning can be utilised to rebuild in a way that limits future damage.

"The cataclysmic events of recent days should trigger a rethink"

As the wildfires continue to burn in multiple areas of Greater Los Angeles, displacing people and destroying thousands of buildings, there are questions as to whether the typical cycles of return and rebuild should happen as they have in the past.

Massive fires have happened in the area as recently as 2018 when the Woolsey Fire tore through parts of Malibu.

"Rather than simply rebuild, as these fire-ravaged areas have done time and again, the cataclysmic events of recent days should trigger a rethink as to how the city could grow back," wrote critic Oliver Wainwright in the Guardian.

Building in steep areas that border chaparral – natural zones with small trees and shrubs that rely on fire for rejuvenation – creates ideal fire conditions exacerbated by climate change and severe drought.

Some have suggested that the building culture in general needs to change. Speaking to New York Magazine, professor of environment history Char Miller questioned if the county and city should allow the same sort of rebuilding at all.

"Where we build produces the conditions for where fires erupt," said Miller "There's nothing that could have stopped this fire."

"We consume our environment"

Others agree, and many in Los Angeles accept the risks of fire as a part of life there, while conscious that the building practices have not integrated properly with the environment, which naturally burns.

"Los Angeles is a city of pleasure and peril, we've always known this," Zeina Koreitem, founding partner of local architecture studio Milliøns, told Dezeen. "We consume our environment instead of living with it."

Others, such as local councilwoman Traci Park noted the "chronic underinvestment in critical infrastructure". This led to bottlenecks in places where people were trying to flee, exacerbated by poorly connected neighbourhoods often designed to emphasise privacy or safety from crime.

These infrastructural bottlenecks were exacerbated by problems with water resources in the area.

LA has some of the "toughest" wildfire regulations

Despite the shortcomings, Los Angeles does have some of the "toughest" wildfire regulations for buildings in the county, according to NPR.

These include parking regulations on high-risk days, fines for not clearing flammable foliage away from structures and the banning of certain materials such as wooden roofs for new builds. NPR also noted that many of these building regulations don't apply to older homes.

Architects and critics have begun suggesting ways in which rebuilding can happen, as, given the housing crisis in California and the thousands displaced from their homes, it seems unlikely that the land would be converted into green space.

"We were already working closely with AIA and the City of Los Angeles to figure out better procedures for permitting to assist with the immediate and constantly growing need for housing in our city," Harper Halprin and Aaron Leshtz of LA-based AAHA Studio told Dezeen.

"Overnight, that need has skyrocketed," he continued. "Now we are not only talking about affordable housing and building up rental options for multi-family development but are also going to need to accommodate the influx of thousands of single-family residences that have been lost."

"Stop building on the land"

The severity of the fires and the likelihood that they will repeat should make local legislators and communities hesitant to build in the same places, according to Miller.

"I would suggest that the county, city, and state consider the possibility of creating a policy that would buy land from willing sellers so that they can get some assets out – then stop building on the land," said Miller.

"If you think the policy of green-lighting development is a bad idea because of this fire, then flip the policy."

Architectural solutions to these problems such as material changes, creating "defensible spaces" and increasing fireproofing have been increasing in usage and requirement. Some believe that locals need to rethink how development goes forward altogether, focusing more on acknowledging fire-prone areas and building densely.

In an opinion written last year in Dezeen, architect Greg Kochanowsk suggested rethinking urban development as opposed to simply retreating from nature or changing building tactics.

"Architecture cannot solve this problem," he wrote. "In fact, all the individual design professions are incapable of addressing the magnitude of the sheer complexity of the climate crisis alone."

"There are no substitutes for a broader conceptualization of innovative planning, typologies, and disciplinary strategies".

This would go beyond single buildings, instead thinking about soft infrastructures that work with the possibility of the need for resilience and recovery, while also increasing density to shelter inhabitation.

Utilizing Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Many have put forward calls for redevelopment in line with Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) – or land management tactics derived from the pre-colonial system.

Local studio Metabolic has created a petition calling for "restoration practices that align with natural systems, ensuring sustainable land and water governance for future generations".

Among the petition's demands are calls for the training of locals in ecosystem restoration, the retention of rainwater, and creating a government liaison to to integrate "TEK, scientific research, and community input" into policy.

Others have added to this, specifying building techniques and ecological interventions that could be implemented immediately.

"Mixing ancient wisdom with contemporary technology, we are leaning on the climate cycles in Topanga, and taking advantage of the house's thermal massing to imagine a different routine that does not rely on HVAC or static spaces," said Koreitem, referencing a recent project in the area.

"We are interested in a built-in seasonality and nomadism. Most invasive and non-native landscapes that have been introduced to LA are part of the problem. And we can start with the iconic LA palm tree."

The photography is by Kelvin Cheng.

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