Policy Currents | The newsletter for policy people
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** Oct. 28, 2025
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Rebuilding Gaza--from Camps to Communities
In the wake of the fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire, thousands of Gazans are returning home to find ruin. More than 60 percent of housing in the enclave is gone or beyond repair. Even more is damaged. And there are some 51 million tons of rubble laced with thousands of unexploded bombs. After all the destruction, where can Gazans live?
The U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal states that no one will be forced to leave Gaza. But it will be an enormous challenge to sustain 2.2 million people within 140 square miles while rebuilding. In fact, this undertaking demands a "radical new approach to post-war reconstruction." That's according to RAND's Shelly Culbertson and architects Kobi Ruthenberg and Robert Lane, who authored a recent study showing what rebuilding Gaza could look like.
Their vision starts with future-oriented camps. History shows that temporary camps often become permanent. So, if camps on the city outskirts are laid out like real suburban neighborhoods, with a proper lot and block structure, then people can live in tents or prefab structures that are slowly replaced by buildings.
Another key to recovery is incremental urbanism, an approach that would be helpful in neighborhoods where some buildings remain intact. Gazans would live in the habitable buildings and groups of tents or modular structures. Community hubs would provide residents with sanitation, utilities, and services while repair and reconstruction take place around them.
A smart, well-planned rebuilding effort could do more than help Gaza recover. It could lay the groundwork for a more stable and secure future.
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The Risk of Miscalculations in a Potential U.S.-China Conflict
When Chinese military planners think about a hypothetical future war with the United States, they may worry about a U.S. strike aimed at decapitating China's leadership. Whether such fears are rational or not, they raise the risk that a conventional conflict might go nuclear. Fortunately, says RAND's Nathan Beauchamp-Mustafaga, Washington can take steps to prevent this.
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Critical Condition: How to Save the ER
If you find yourself in an emergency room--whether after a stroke, a car accident, or an infection--you will receive the care you need. That's true whether or not you can pay. But the system providing that care is in crisis. America's ERs are treating sicker patients, seeing increased demand, and struggling with declining payments. In a new episode of RAND's Policy Minded podcast, Dr. Mahshid Abir explores the growing strain on emergency care and policy actions that could help sustain it.
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** RAND Recommends
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- A new RAND study identifies shortfalls in Los Angeles County's official homelessness counts.
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- RAND's Scott Harold discusses increasing the value of the "linchpin" alliance between the United States and South Korea.
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** Events
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Is China's Economic Plan Changing?
Tuesday, November 4, 2025 (Online)
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The 'Big Shift' from Hospitals to Communities
Thursday, November 6, 2025 (Online)
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The Geopolitics of AGI
Thursday, November 20, 2025 (Online)
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