Empirical study of housing recovery and property abandonment following valley fire in California: Insights from neighborhood characteristics and building attributes

Purpose: This paper aims to examine how neighborhood characteristics (income, population composition) and individual building attributes (ownership) affect the recovery period of single-family housing and determine their correlations with property abandonment and changes in residential land use after natural disaster. Design/methodology/approach: This empirical study focuses on Valley Fire, one of the California’s most destructive wildfires in 2015, and uses assessor, community, demographic and sales data to measure recovery of a panel of single-family houses located in Lake County in California between 2012 and 2020. Several regression and correlation models will be developed to test different hypotheses. Findings: This study found that: Recovery period is longer than what expected in most existing literature; ownership status significantly affects recovery period; income level is not a significant factor for shortening the recovery period; and minorities may need more assistance for constant recovery. Findings of this research will help identify at risk communities to avoid uneven housing recovery and lower the rate of property abandonment. Originality/value: Housing recovery is key to revitalizing communities following major natural disasters. The sociodemographic characteristics of each neighborhood have significant impact on the duration of recovery and possible property abandonment. Understanding how home and neighborhood characteristics affect recovery will help planners prevent long-lasting adverse effects of natural disasters.