Los Angeles isn't short on ideas or expertise. But, like many communities rebuilding after a disaster, it lacks the connections, systems, and capacity to bring them together at scale.
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- Feature: After the Marshall Fire, builders played a central role in shaping resilient rebuilds. - From the archive: The missing piece in LA's wildfire recovery is coordination. - In the news: With federal aid dwindling, how can cities embed climate resilience in their budgets?
In the months after the 2021 Marshall Fire in Colorado, builders played a significant role in influencing whether homes were rebuilt to resilient standards.
At times, builders pushed homeowners to consider more resilient upgrades and options. At other times, they nudged homeowners toward standard packages optimized to streamline the building process and keep costs low.
University of Colorado researchers who interviewed Marshall Fire survivors found three builder characteristics that influenced the resilience of home rebuilds:
Builder capacity: What standards or plans a builder was willing and able to build to.
Builder persuasion: The conversations builders had with homeowners to present options, offer advice, and guide key decisions in the rebuilding process.
Builder trust: A homeowner's trust, or lack of it, that their builder could build to more resilient standards.
Across the country, when builders are experienced in building to resilient standards and treat them as the default option, more homes are rebuilt to those standards. After the Marshall Fire, researchers found that Colorado homeowners leaned on their builder’s expertise to guide them through the rebuilding process.
In recent Epicenter articles, we’ve seen evidence that resilience is the result of coordination across various actors in an ecosystem. For public finance and resilient infrastructure, Matt Posner, the head of public finance for The Resiliency Company, explained that “resilience is a coordination problem, not a cost-benefit problem. No single actor has authority to move the whole system.”
For the recovery and rebuilding process in Los Angeles, Jonathan Dromgoole, the strategy, partnerships, and operations lead for Resilient LA, argued that “we need better coordination of what already exists.”
The same is true of the coordination between homeowners, homebuilders, lenders, insurers, and frameworks like the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety’s Wildfire Prepared set of building standards. When these stakeholders work together, the resilient standard can become the default package.
Should Wood Be a Public Utility? | The Epicenter | Treating wood as a public utility, rather than a waste product, could reduce fire risk, support insurer re-entry, and unlock economic value that currently goes up in smoke.
California Lawmakers Look to Support Home Hardening Through Financing Programs | SPUR | As wildfire risk and insurance costs rise, California lawmakers are exploring ways to help homeowners pay for wildfire-resistant upgrades. SPUR provides an overview of new and proposed tax credits, grants, insurance incentives, and loans that could make home hardening more accessible.
With Federal Aid Dwindling, How Can Cities Embed Climate Resilience in Their Budgets? | Clark University | Cities are looking for ways to make resilience a permanent part of their budgets and planning. Experts and local leaders pick out strategies including climate-focused financing, public-private partnerships, tree planting, and infrastructure upgrades.
Solar Photovoltaic Hardening for Resilience – Wildfire | U.S. Department of Energy | Solar infrastructure faces growing risks from flames, smoke, and extreme heat. The U.S. Department of Energy outlines the leading strategies for making photovoltaic systems more resilient, including fire-resistant equipment and vegetation management.
Read more about resilient public infrastructure and government solutions on The Epicenter here.
Real Estate & Construction
In the American West, Wildfire Comes for the Suburbs | Grist | Growing communities on the wildland-urban interface face mounting risks. A Grist report from Reno and Spokane looks at how suburban sprawl, vulnerable infrastructure, evacuation challenges, and home construction are converging.
Wildfire Smoke Fears Affect Homebuyer Decision-Making | Forbes | As wildfire smoke reaches new regions, homebuyers are paying closer attention to indoor air quality. Real estate professionals report growing interest in air filtration, purification, HVAC systems, and tightly sealed homes.
Megafire Action California Homeowner Survey | Megafire Action and Hart Research | This survey finds that homeowners in fire-prone areas have significant interest in home hardening, especially those on the FAIR plan and with high insurance premiums. The biggest barriers are the belief that upgrades will be costly and skepticism about effectiveness.
Read more about resilient real estate on The Epicenter here.
The Statistic of the Week
$1.29 billion
In the first half of 2026, climate adaptation technology companies raised $1.29 billion. Check out the chart at the link below that breaks it down by “solutions area.”
Have thoughts to share or want to add your voice to the conversation? Reach out!
The Epicenter helps decision-makers understand climate risks and discover viable resilience solutions. The Epicenter is an affiliated publication of The Resiliency Company, a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to inspiring and empowering humanity to adapt to the accelerating challenges of the next 100+ years.
Los Angeles isn't short on ideas or expertise. But, like many communities rebuilding after a disaster, it lacks the connections, systems, and capacity to bring them together at scale.
S&P 500 companies mentioned "resilience" 600 times on earnings calls last quarter. The word is exploding, and it's losing meaning. New research shows only one kind of resilience moves stock prices.
