Addressing the Housing Crisis in Los Angeles Following the 2025 Wildfires

*Written by Greg Kochanowski, AIA, ASLA – Design Principal, Practice & Founder, The Wild: A Research Lab

Even before the devastating 2025 wildfire season, Los Angeles was grappling with a serious housing affordability issue. High rental prices, a limited availability of affordable housing units, and a growing population of unhoused individuals were already straining the city. The destructive Palisades and Eaton Fires greatly exacerbated this crisis, leaving thousands of renters—many in informal or budget-friendly multifamily units, ADUs, and trailer homes – displaced without viable options for relocation. This increase in housing insecurity is now pushing the city to a breaking point.

This urgent local situation is unfolding against a backdrop of diminishing federal support. Recent actions by the Trump administration to defund the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), cut Housing Choice Vouchers, and reduce vital programs such as HOME and CDBG have eroded the already limited federal resources dedicated to maintaining and expanding affordable housing. With the State of California and the City of Los Angeles also grappling with significant budget deficits, their ability to offer emergency housing aid, reconstruct low-income housing, or sustain existing subsidy initiatives has been severely compromised. This convergence of factors—increasing demand, dwindling public investment, and a growing dependence on strained local systems to address a fundamentally national issue—has created a crisis point.

In this climate, we must fundamentally rethink how we conceptualize, provide, and fund affordable housing. The current strategies of relying on tax credits, public subsidies, and density bonuses are insufficient when entire housing markets are upended by natural disasters and federal disinvestment. Novel policy and financial frameworks are necessary to safeguard affordability and housing accessibility, particularly for renters, undocumented individuals, and those displaced by environmental catastrophes.

One promising avenue involves reconciling the immense demand for affordable housing with the substantial resources of the private sector—specifically private equity and impact investing. This is not an endorsement for deregulation or turning housing into a commodity. Instead, we must pioneer innovative mixed financial models that align investor motivations with enduring affordability commitments, safeguards against displacement, and community-owned structures. Land banks, social housing trusts, public-private development entities, and community investment pools are all adaptable tools for this moment. These mechanisms should be coupled with robust tenant protections, climate-resilient architectural standards, and coordinated regional land use strategies.

Moreover, post-disaster recovery should prioritize equity. The reconstruction efforts in fire-ravaged areas like Altadena provide an opportunity to not just rebuild, but to rebuild with integrity—eschewing speculative projects and exclusionary zoning in favor of sustainable, inclusive, and perpetually affordable housing models. This endeavor demands political boldness, policy innovation, and a collective recognition that housing is a form of infrastructure that must provide support to all.

As we confront these challenges, now is not the time to retract our commitments. It is a moment to expand our creativity, forge stronger partnerships, and reaffirm our dedication to viewing housing not as a mere commodity, but as a fundamental human right—particularly in the aftermath of disasters.

*Disclaimer: The advice and perspectives shared here belong to the author and should not be considered official recommendations from AIA Los Angeles.

Greg Kochanowski, AIA, ASLA – Design Principal, Practice & Founder, The Wild: A Research Lab

Greg is a licensed architect, landscape designer, and educator in California with over 26 years of experience. His work weaves together architecture, landscape, and urbanism to create sustainable, equitable, and innovative environments that honor and enhance the unique qualities of place. Building on this foundation, Greg’s research emphasizes holistic design processes that foster resilience and harmony between natural systems, culture, infrastructure, and development, addressing the complex challenges posed by climate change.

Greg’s work has been featured in venues such as the Venice and Rotterdam Biennales and has received recognition, including the Architectural League of New York’s Young Architects Forum Award and honors from the AIALA, AIAPF, ASLA, and AIACA. He has presented at ASLA and AIA National Conventions, sharing insights on Southern California’s Wildland-Urban Interface and its recurring fire, flood, and debris flow cycles, exploring broader climate impacts across the Western U.S. and globally.

He is the author of The Wild and the upcoming Wildlands in the Expanded Field: Designing in the Pyrocene (Routledge Press, 2026). In connection with issues of wildfire and climate, Greg’s research also delves into affordable housing strategies aimed at addressing pressing social and environmental challenges. This includes innovative ownership models and housing solutions for vulnerable populations, emphasizing equitable, resilient, and sustainable communities.

As Partner and Director of Design at Practice in Pasadena, CA, and Founder of The Wild: A Research Lab, a nonprofit addressing urban climate issues, he advances design research and advocacy by bridging innovative practice with critical research. He currently serves on the Board of Community Design Group and previously served as Co-President of the Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design.