Rethinking Rebuilding: Stephanie Pincetl on Sustainable Solutions for Post-Wildfire Los Angeles
The Guardian | Original article by Lois Beckett
As Los Angeles rushes to rebuild after devastating wildfires, Stephanie Pincetl, director of UCLA’s California Center for Sustainable Communities and CSWAC Member, urges leaders to pause and consider a more sustainable approach. In a recent Guardian article, Pincetl questions whether taxpayer dollars should fund reconstruction in high-risk wildfire zones, advocating instead for a shift toward resilient, inward-focused urban planning.
“We need to build inward, not outward,” Pincetl explains, suggesting that LA embrace denser housing models, such as converting single-family homes into duplexes or triplexes. This approach could create safer, more central communities while providing more jobs in retrofitting and sustainable construction.
Pincetl also critiques policies like suspending electrification requirements for new buildings, calling it “extraordinarily shortsighted.” She emphasizes the opportunity to rebuild with climate-appropriate and fully electric homes, setting the city on a path toward sustainability rather than perpetuating vulnerabilities.
By reimagining how and where LA rebuilds, Pincetl believes the city can break the cycle of destruction and create a more resilient future.
