'Place Shock' and the Ecology of Fear

How to conceive of rebuilding places amid sudden change in a region known for its “ecology of fear?” As the city embarks on the arduous task of rebuilding, the question arises: how do we reconcile the imperatives of safety and sustainability with the deeply ingrained human desire for continuity, for a sense of rootedness in the familiar?

1 minute read

January 15, 2025, 9:00 AM PST

By Charles R. Wolfe @crwolfelaw


Nighttime view of wildfire in Los Angeles hills.

trekandphoto / Adobe Stock

In an essay anticipating the rebuilding of Los Angeles, Chuck Wolfe evokes a range of regulatory approaches, the writing of the late Mike Davis, and the realities of political expediency to explore what place restoration will mean.

After referencing the importance of  memories, histories, and community, he concludes:

Los Angeles's challenge is efficiently rebuilding homes and infrastructure while acknowledging how actual rebuilding transcends the physical. It's about encouraging the intangible, honoring memories, and cultivating a sense of belonging. 

Paradise is fragile, says climate change and its progeny of storms, melts, heat, and drought. In this case, it's a matter of purposely reflecting on how resilience and beauty coexist amid political compromises and Davis’s ecology of fear.

Monday, January 13, 2025 in Resurgence: A Journey via Substack

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