Policy
Recovery happens within a regulatory framework. Water rights, zoning codes, historic preservation rules, and federal aid programs all shape what can be built and when. The Stage 2 Water Shortage Declaration and the June 2022 designation of the Lahaina Aquifer Sector as a Water Management Area shifted governance from County to the State Commission on Water Resource Management, requiring Water Use Permits that prioritize public trust purposes over other uses. The West Maui Community Plan establishes managed retreat as policy framework. This topic covers the policy landscape and identifies where changes are needed to enable equitable recovery.
Sections
Disaster Gentrification & Equitable Recovery
How post-disaster recovery can displace the communities it's meant to serve, and policy mechanisms to prevent it in Lahaina.
Literature Review & Research Methodology
Theoretical frameworks informing the thesis and the iterative multi-scalar design methodology.
Resilience Drivers - Global Precedents
How post-disaster recovery has failed and succeeded in New Orleans and Kobe, and what transfers to Lahaina.
The Water Crisis
Stage 2 water shortage, aquifer designation, and the infrastructure blocking Lahaina's recovery.
Zoning & Land Use
How Lahaina's land use patterns concentrated vulnerability and complicate recovery.
Sources
After Great Disasters: An In-Depth Analysis of How Six Communities Managed Recovery
Johnson, Laurie A. & Olshansky, Robert B. — Post-disaster urban planning; governance; building back better framework
Lahaina Aquifer Sector Designation
CWRM (State of Hawai'i) — State-level regulatory control over all water withdrawals in the Lahaina sector
Disaster, Inc.: Privatization and Post-Katrina Rebuilding in New Orleans
Gotham, Kevin Fox — Privatization dynamics in post-disaster rebuilding; warnings about disaster capitalism in recovery
Fragile Paradise: The Impact of Tourism on Maui, 1959-2000
Blackford, Mansel G. — Tourism-driven transformation of Maui; development versus preservation conflict
Rules Pertaining to Indigenous Hawaiian Architecture Structures
County of Maui Department of Public Works — Regulatory framework for building using traditional Hawaiian architectural methods; informs the module system's cultural legitimacy
Maui's Deadly Firestorm
PBS FRONTLINE — Investigative documentary examining the causes of the 2023 wildfire and systemic failures in emergency response
Managing Natural Catastrophes
Reissberg, Anja Christina — Risk management frameworks with Hawaiian examples of island fragility
Native Land and Foreign Desires: Pehea Lā E Pono Ai?
Kameʻeleihiwa, Lilikalā — Hawaiian perspectives on land ownership and colonial dispossession; foundational text for understanding land justice in Lahaina
No Mākou Ka Mana: Liberating the Nation
Beamer, Kamanamaikalani — Hawaiian sovereignty and land governance; historical framework for indigenous land management
Post-Event Mobility and Evacuation Analysis
Maui County Office of Recovery — Analysis of evacuation failures during the 2023 wildfire; directly informs the proposed mobility redesign
Zoning Breakdown for Post-Fire Lahaina
Singh, Akhil — Analysis of all 17 zoning types: identifying promising versus problematic zones for rebuild
Rule by Aesthetics: World-Class City Making in Delhi
Ghertner, D. Asher — How aesthetic governance displaces communities; relevant to disaster gentrification and equitable recovery
Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report
Hawaiʻi Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission — Official sea level rise projections used for the coastal buffer strategy; provides the 3.5-foot and 6-foot planning thresholds
The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism
Klein, Naomi — How disasters are exploited for economic gain; framework for understanding disaster gentrification risks in Lahaina
Stage 2 Water Shortage Declaration, West Maui
Maui County DWS — Demand exceeds reliable capacity by 41.8%; new water meter moratorium blocking reconstruction
3-Year Usage Forecast
Maui County Department of Water Supply — Projected water demand vs. supply through 2028; quantifies the 41.8% deficit blocking recovery
West Maui Community Plan
County of Maui Planning Department — Community-adopted land use plan for West Maui including transportation, housing, and environmental policies
Terms
CWRM
Commission on Water Resource Management
Disaster Gentrification
The process by which post-disaster recovery disproportionately benefits external actors, displacing existing communities. Common patterns include land speculation, rising property values during reconstruction, and prioritization of tourism infrastructure over resident housing.
DLNR
State of Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources
FEMA
Federal Emergency Management Agency
LTRP
Long-Term Recovery Plan
Post-Disaster Urbanism
The study and design of cities following catastrophic events, examining how disasters expose systemic vulnerabilities and how reconstruction can restructure the conditions that produced them.