Urban Land Institute- Project Recovery: Rebuilding Los Angeles After the January 2025 Wildfires

In the wake of the devastating January 2025 wildfires that destroyed
thousands of homes and displaced hundreds of thousands of
residents across Los Angeles, the Urban Land Institute (ULI), ULI
Los Angeles, the UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate, and the USC
Lusk Center for Real Estate joined forces to launch Project Recovery.
Within days of the disaster, the partnership mobilized approximately
100 experts from across the fields of land use, housing, infrastructure,
finance, construction, insurance, and economic development to help
accelerate recovery efforts.

Working through focused workstreams, volunteers contributed almost
11,000 hours over a six-week period to develop a comprehensive
recovery roadmap that addressed the region’s most pressing
rebuilding challenges. The resulting report provided actionable
recommendations to streamline permitting, reduce barriers to
reconstruction, strengthen resilience, and help displaced families
return home faster.

Project Recovery informed reforms and pilot initiatives adopted by
local governments and inspired new partnerships such as the Builders
Alliance, created to support more efficient rebuilding. Today, Project
Recovery serves not only as a roadmap for Los Angeles but also as a
model for communities around the world confronting climate-related
disasters and the urgent need to rebuild stronger, faster, and more
resiliently.