Expert on the 1-year anniversary of devastating Maui wildfires: ‘When people suddenly care about things, it can change norms’

Newswise — Notre Dame Expert on Design Interventions for Climate-Resilient Building Practices Available for Interviews Ahead of 1-Year Anniversary of Maui Wildfires

The historic town of Lahaina, Maui, endured a catastrophic hurricane-driven wildfire on August 8-9, 2023, that killed more than 100 people, caused widespread destruction and devastated its community. Nearly 7,000 residents were displaced from their homes. Soon afterward, local officials in the historic seaside town began to face the formidable task of reconstruction, with building codes and their regulation occupying a prominent place in their discussion and planning. 

It has been one year since that tragedy took place.

Susan Ostermann, a political scientist at the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame and an attorney with expertise in regulatory compliance, conducted National Science Foundation-funded research on hazard-resilient housing in Lahaina this summer. She conducted interviews with homeowners who lost their homes and as well as individuals connected to home building — architects, engineers, regulators, builders and contractors, developers, housing inspectors and building supply company representatives — to design interventions that will lead to a wider adoption of climate-resilient building practices.

From Susan Ostermann:

“We must think about hazard-resilient housing not only in terms of engineering and building, but also in terms of the social, economic and political environments that affect housing. Just as we need to design a building system that works, we also need to design a regulatory system that works.”

“Building codes are the mechanisms by which we are trying to adapt to climate change in terms of the built environment. Rebuilding homes is one thing, but rebuilding homes that are resilient is quite another.” 

“As a political scientist, I'm interested in how people think about housing differently after a loss. Usually big events crystallize certain ideas for people. For example, how long it takes to get a building permit. When people suddenly care about things, it can change norms.”

“In Maui, there is so much interest in theories about which houses survived. There are a lot of people putting a lot of emotional energy into a vision of what Maui could be. I left with a positive feeling about the future of Lahaina.”

Susan Ostermann is assistant professor of global affairs and political science at the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. Her research focuses mainly on regulatory compliance in South Asia, but she also seeks to understand laws and norms and how they change and interact.

If you are writing a story ahead of the 1-year anniversary of the Maui wildfires, please consider Susan Ostermann as an expert source, especially when it comes to best practices for building homes for the future in our climate-affected world.

Requests for an interview can be sent to [email protected].