As severe weather events become more frequent and severe, infrastructure professionals and society leaders are increasingly challenged to rebuild communities smarter and more sustainably.
The ASCE2027 vision and strategy session “Resilience Reimagined: Community Recovery after Disaster Strikes” dives into bold strategies for recovery through innovative financing, inclusive engagement, and climate-informed design.
In this ASCE Interchange Live, Mark Pestrella, director of Los Angeles County Public Works and executive director of the Los Angeles County Rebuild Authority, previews the panel and discusses how resilient rebuilding can protect communities and accelerate recovery after crisis. Pestrella is also the moderator for the ASCE2027 vision and strategy session.
This ASCE Interchange Live is part of a special series highlighting the vision, strategy sessions, key themes, and keynote voices of ASCE2027.
“It's not about rebuilding the structure. It's actually creating certainty in people's lives,” Pestrella said. “We're trying to achieve a way of life for people, a quality of life for people, and certainty for people that that quality of life is going to remain in place.”
Resilience is not just up to city planners or technical experts like engineers and architects. Non-engineers and those beyond the profession play just as important a role. Pestrella explains, “They all need to be involved in developing what ‘good’ looks like and developing to implement the recovery as a holistic approach rather than a broken system of systems.”
Although Pestrella works in LA County, one of the most populous counties in the U.S., he also discusses how smaller communities can become more resilient, as well as the unique perspectives the ASCE2027 panel discussion will provide on approaching resilience and recovery. These valuable insights from professionals in government, industry, and community organizations will be a part of ASCE2027 programming that addresses the “Engineering at the Edge” key theme of the event.
ASCE2027 will be held in Philadelphia, March 1-5, 2027. Registration for ASCE2027 is now open. To learn more, visit experience.asce.org.
To view all ASCE Interchange episodes, visit ASCE’s YouTube channel.
What’s Your Big Idea?
Big infrastructure challenges require big infrastructure solutions, and ASCE2027 is your place for those big ideas.
ASCE2027: The Infrastructure and Engineering Experience is a first-of-its-kind event, bringing together big thinkers from all across the infrastructure space, March 1-5, 2027, in Philadelphia. Pack your big ideas and join the discussion.
Learn more about ASCE2027: The Infrastructure and Engineering Experience.
