Los Angeles Initiative

Los Angeles Initiative

The Los Angeles (LA) Initiative engages LEAD IMPACT team members in mapping specific areas of the city after the devastating fires of 2025 using ESRI ArcGIS tools. This engagement allows for a detailed ground level view of these areas with a view to planning for the design and development of different neighborhoods over time. In cooperation with the LEAD IMPACT Art Institute, a series of online and hybrid auctions are in the planning to raise funds to rebuild areas with a focus on regenerative urbanism as inspired by the work of the Geneva-based architect, urbanist, and musician, Dr. Anna Grichting. The core LEAD IMPACT team members of the LA Initiative include Maria Paula Mayor, Kimia Rahbar, Neela Chipalkatty, Kasch Marquardt, and Angela Lin with overall direction and organization undertaken by Dr. Colette Mazzucelli.

The Los Angeles Initiative is informed by public events programs such as the webinar organized by the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) on February 13, 2025 to address the question: How do we protect marginalized communities from extreme devastation in the wake of the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires?  
 
The focus of the LA Initiative is on long-term recovery as well as the unique status of California’s population given what this context might signify for those in Los Angeles most in need of support.
 
A dimension of the Los Angeles Initiative is ESRI ArcGIS StoryMaps informed by the experiences of local residents.