Disaster Recovery Eco Re-Build Plan

The Challenge

When a community has lost much of what they have spent a lifetime and even generations working toward, there is hurt beyond material loss. Bringing back hope for the future is paramount to any rebuilding project. Very few communities are climate change resilient. 

Communities without “resiliency plans” are especially vulnerable to the consequences of climate change. 

The Solution

WSC Partner Amber Bieg worked with communities in California after the 2015 Valley Fire to build a resilience and recovery plan. Through community facilitation, residents chose to prioritize regenerative design that would regenerate a local economy as well as withstand future fires. The community identified that rebuilding with regenerative design would not only bring back hope, but add a special and necessary component of making the community feel excited about being at the forefront of what communities will look like in the future.

Community-developed solutions included:

1. Integrating regenerative design as a re-build approach, creating sustainable buildings that integrate the needs of the community while maintaining integrity with nature. 
2. Straw bale and cob construction housing that would be more resistant to wildfire damage than wood framed buildings.
3. Medium density developments that would support local retail, enliven the local economy and provide essential services within walking distance to community residents.