1.8 min readPublished On: January 17, 2025Categories: Climate Action, News
We are saddened by the recent devastating wildfires in Southern California, and would like to extend our deepest sympathies and support to all the families who lost their homes and neighborhoods. At the same time, we are inspired by the incredible strength of the communities coming together during this extremely difficult time. In the last couple of days, local chapters have been working tirelessly with AIA California to provide assistance to affected architect members and communities. Our own board secretary, Emma Greenberg, attended a virtual meeting organized by AIA Los Angeles yesterday and would like to share her thoughts with our members:
This past Wednesday, I attended the first AIA|LA Wildfire Disaster Response Ad Hoc Task Force meeting. Discussions centered on mobilizing members and forming working groups to provide immediate assistance, mid-term recovery, and long-term rebuilding efforts. Volunteer efforts will be coordinated by aligning interests with task forces to maximize impact. The meeting brought hope for the rebuilding effort and recovery. Architects shared experiences of loss and lessons from past disasters, committing to rebuild communities in a resilient and equitable way. Priorities include streamlining permitting to help families return home sooner and designing temporary housing.
While we continue to share updates about AIA’s effort in helping to rebuild communities in the affected areas, here are a few ways that you can help now:
As natural disasters become more frequent and have out-of-proportion impacts to our cities and infrastructures, focusing on resilient design in our practice is more urgent than ever. AIA California will be hosting a webinar on the New Standard of Care Includes Integrated Resilience Design on January 29. Later this spring, we will also organize a Safety Assessment Program training with Lee I. Lippert, our longtime liaison to AIACA Disaster Response Network. The COTE committee will also be sharing resilient design related programs and resources.