Abstract:

The January 2025 Eaton and Palisades fires revealed how urgently transportation systems must recover—and how quickly a rush to rebuild can foreclose opportunities to advance resilience and other community priorities. This report examines how collaborative community engagement can shape safer, more equitable transportation rebuilding and evacuation planning in Los Angeles. Drawing on literature, public agency records, and interviews with transportation professionals, fire survivors, and community leaders, the research explores whether sustained engagement processes carried out under California’s Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) program can serve as a model for post-fire recovery. Findings show that formalized partnerships between government and community stakeholders can provide a structure for inclusive community participation and cross-agency coordination, which are both essential for meaningful implementation of community visions in transportation projects. Community-based organizations serve as vital representatives and intermediaries under this model, but need compensation and support to participate, especially in a post-disaster setting. The TCC model offers adaptable structures—collaborative visioning, shared governance, and flexibility—that could strengthen post-disaster recovery if scaled to faster timelines. This research calls on policymakers and practitioners to embed community priorities in transportation decisions, align funding to sustain partnerships, and rebuild for long-term resilience rather than short-term restoration.