Several years of catastrophic wildfires in Canada doesn't mean the risk has lessened. Experts predict much worse in the future.
In 2016, a wildfire devastated Fort McMurray in Alberta. In 2017, wildfires set records in British Columbia. In 2018, wildfires burned British Columbia in May.
Since the 1970s, the average area burned in Canada each year has almost doubled, according to an article by Ainslie Cruickshank and Jesse Winter. According to Mike Flannigan, a professor of wildland fire at the University of Alberta, the amount of land that burns every year in Canada could double or even quadruple by the end of the century.
Human-caused climate change is exacerbating the damage, according to Flannigan, by slowing the jet stream and allowing more high pressure zones that create the conditions for catastrophic fires.
Read the full story: For B.C., fire and flood disaster cycle won’t let up anytime soon — and may get worse
Over a Quarter of US Homes Face ‘Severe or Extreme’ Climate Risk
The number of U.S. homes at risk from hurricanes, fires, or flooding is valued at close to $13 trillion.
More Colorado Suburbs at Risk for Wildfires
Experts warn that more intense fires fueled by a warming climate are threatening an increasing number of Colorado's suburban communities.
Wildfires in the West Are Climate Change Lessons for Everyone
The wildfires burning throughout the West, with terrible but photogenic consequences, come with a reminder that it's only going to get worse unless massive changes are made right here in the United States.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
US buildings threatened, destroyed by fires set to triple by 2060
Researchers found a high fire risk for socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods in the American West.
LA residents may be allowed to paint their own crosswalks
Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky put out a motion instructing the Los Angeles Department of Public Transportation to study the feasibility of allowing volunteers to paint crosswalks.
Dallas moves to overhaul its zoning code
The city's zoning reform will allow more multi-family and mixed-use developments.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority