UCLA Luskin Summit 2025: A Vision for Equitable Recovery After the LA Fires

By Mara Elana Burstein

In the aftermath of the devastating 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, the UCLA Luskin Summit brought together researchers, advocates, and community leaders to chart a path toward recovery that is not only resilient but also equitable. Hosted by the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, the summit offered bold visions and grounded strategies to address intersecting challenges — from housing and public health to clean energy and civic leadership — in the wake of disaster.

“This is more than a summit — it’s a space for shared learning across sectors,” said Megan Mullin, faculty director of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation. “The Luskin Center for Innovation and other parts of the Luskin School organized sessions at the summit to advance policy solutions that center research findings along with the people and places most affected by climate-driven disasters.”

“We are rebuilding in a moment of overlapping crises,” added Colleen Callahan, co-executive director of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation. “This year’s summit is about catalyzing ideas that meet the urgency of the post-fire recovery — rooted in equity, informed by community, and guided by research.”

The summit hosted eight breakout discussions, all of which were recorded:

• Rebuild vs. Reimagine – Framing the Issues – This opening session set the tone for the summit by asking whether LA should return to the status quo or reimagine a different future. Panelists from the private and public sectors, the real estate profession, and the policy arena discussed the myriad intersecting challenges and highlighted lessons from exemplary recovery cases.
• Latino Immigrant Workers at the Intersections of Disaster – Wildfires reveal deep inequities in disaster response and recovery, often leaving vulnerable communities without adequate support. This panel examined the profound impact of wildfires on Latino immigrant workers, who are overrepresented in high-risk sectors and are essential to rebuilding efforts.
• Quality of Life Survey: Impacts of the Fires – This discussion centered around LA County residents’ survey responses related to the wildfires.
• Managed Retreat for Wildfire? – The question of managed retreat — whether to relocate built infrastructure away from environmental hazards, like wildfires — has stirred public debate. This session, presented by UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, asked, is retreat ill-advised, infeasible, or a necessary tool to build a more resilient region?
• Practical Rebuilding Implementation Strategies – With an emphasis on future-proofing and resiliency, this panel focused on practical and immediately actionable steps related to rebuilding, permitting, infrastructure, and finance to accelerate recovery, reduce red tape, incentivize economic development, and holistically rebuild communities.
• Displacement and Disaster Recovery Gentrification – Altadena, a historically Black, middle-class and culturally vibrant community, was devastated by the Eaton fire. This panel examined the response to the 2018 Camp Fire, using empirical findings to show that the City of Paradise experienced post-fire gentrification and gleaned lessons about the unique challenges faced by Altadena residents.
• Coping and Resilience After Natural Disasters – Grief and loss often emerge as emotional responses following a devastating natural disaster. The panelists discussed how individuals navigate and cope with traumatic experiences that are influenced by both short- and long-term access to meaningful, culturally relevant resources.
• Designing for Climate Justice in the Urban Region – This session discussed how Angelenos can rebuild and recover in ways that do not replicate unjust patterns of urban development.

The summit concluded with reflections on how cross-sector collaboration and long-term vision can drive recovery and transformation. This session emphasized unity and urgency in building an inclusive and climate-ready future.

Check out photos from the event and the list of speakers.

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