A newly conducted survey surrounding the victims of the Palisades and Eaton fires indicates a strong desire among displaced homeowners to return to their original neighborhoods, but many are skeptical about the government’s ability to facilitate their return in a timely manner.
The grim aftermath of the devastating January fires left many homeowners contemplating their future. The vast majority expressed intentions to rebuild their homes, yet half of the surveyed individuals revealed they are unwilling to wait more than three years to get back to their communities.
Clare De Briere, a real estate developer from Los Angeles, emphasized the urgency that accompanies the revival of lost neighborhoods. She played a pivotal role in overseeing the survey, which was facilitated by Project Recovery—a collaboration among public and private real estate experts. The initiative aims to develop strategies for accelerating recovery for residents considering a return to their homes in Pacific Palisades, Altadena, Malibu, and other affected areas.
The comprehensive report was compiled by scholars from the real estate graduate schools at USC and UCLA, in conjunction with the Los Angeles chapter of the Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit organization focused on real estate education and research.
For the follow-up survey, Project Recovery connected with nearly 350 homeowners who suffered total loss or significant damage during the fires to gauge their future preferences. The results revealed a strong inclination towards returning to their neighborhoods, coupled with a shared apprehension regarding the feasibility of a swift return.
De Briere warned that if the rebuilding process takes too long, many residents could choose to settle elsewhere. “For every year it takes to at least start the rebuilding, 20% of the population will find another place to go,” she stated.
“If that statistic is right, then after five years, you’re going to have a whole new community there, so it won’t be the same. You won’t have the same people remembering the same parades and the same soccer teams, or the librarian who used to have story hour in the local library. All that sort of cultural memory gets wiped out.”
The Project Recovery report proposes a plan aimed at facilitating home rebuilding within three years after clearing the land for redevelopment. However, this ambitious timeline hinges on improved collaboration between builders and government officials tasked with overseeing construction approvals and restoring essential infrastructure such as power and water.
Interestingly, the survey highlighted that displaced homeowners’ primary concern was a perceived lack of leadership from both city and county officials in driving the recovery process forward.
This revelation surprised De Briere, as she anticipated affordability would dominate the residents’ concerns, especially regarding whether they would be able to finance their rebuilding efforts.
The existing building permit process in Los Angeles can take up to 18 months, a timeframe that needs to be drastically shortened to one to two months, according to Project Recovery’s findings.
To expedite the reconstruction process, the report suggests implementing an expedited procedure currently being discussed by Los Angeles officials. This would allow licensed architects, engineers, and other design professionals to self-certify their building plans against objective building code requirements, with artificial intelligence aiding in faster verification than traditional methods.
In addition to concerns about the duration of the rebuilding process, homeowners expressed worries about the enduring risks of residing in fire-prone and landslide-prone zones.
The report authors hope that the rebuilding effort will encourage better understanding and management of the relationship between homes and the combustible environment surrounding them.
“If we don’t do it differently, we’re going to have the same thing happen in Beverly Hills, and Bel Air, in Silver Lake, Los Feliz and Echo Park,” De Briere noted, reflecting on the repercussions of living too close to nature without appropriate management.
Other notable insights gathered from the survey point to the pressing need for proactive measures in order to safeguard communities against similar disasters in the future.
image source from：https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-05-31/la-wildfire-victims-uncertain-about-returning-to-their-burned-neighborhoods-rebuild-altadena-palisades
