Los Angeles wildfires and the future of the city

Chapter 1

Climate change and the perfect firestorm

Climate change has created increasingly extreme fire conditions in southern California. Andrea Thompson, environment editor at ‘Scientific American’, explains how the wildfires were exacerbated by powerful winds that spread embers across vast distances.

Chapter 2

Leadership, communication and community response

During the fires, conflicting evacuation orders caused confusion among the population. Failures in disaster response highlight the progressive decline of local media as a crucial source of information during emergencies. Marc Adelman is a communications consultant and Los Angeles resident, who told us about the role that community played during this crisis.

Chapter 3

Mobility and the challenge of rebuilding

The LA Metro offered free travel for those displaced by the fires, highlighting the critical role of public transport in emergencies. John Rossant, CEO of CoMotion, told us how rebuilding presents an opportunity to improve not only fire resilience but also urban mobility in the region.