Time and again fires have fast-tracked urban change.The fires in Los Angeles, aside from tightening already elaborate building codes, probably wont result in anything as dramatic.Rebuilding will take years and potentially involve additional building codes that may raise construction costs, and entail new forms of development that could improve but also alter the neighborhood[s].Michael Kimmelman trekked west to survey the charred landscape of Altadena, where as many as 4,700 homes were lost, finding an insurmountable situation that Michael Maltzan quips "isnt going to be quick or easy" to recover from (if at all). This is thanks in part to the presence of private equity interests. In the way of a solution, he writes: "Theres certainly plenty of room in the flatlands to accommodate more housing that wouldnt Manhattanize neighborhoods." His ideas add to the chorus of those questioning whether or not officials should consider it as a tabula rasaby which to introduce radical zoning changes or maintain an already faltered status quo.More from our recent Los Angeles Fires coverage:After the Altadena Fire: An Ode to Our HouseOliver Wainwright: better urban strategies must come from L.A.'s ashesAIA|LA Wildfire Disaster Response Task Force leaders on rebuilding: 'Our approach must be holistic'