Wildfire planning often focuses on individual buildings, but little guidance exists for effective citywide evacuation planning.

Increasingly powerful fires are devastating communities around the world, with tens of thousands of people already affected this year. “And yet, when it comes to things like planning evacuations, best practices don’t really exist—there’s no book to consult, no checklist to follow,” writes Caroline Mimbs Nyce in The Atlantic.
“The reason for this is that wildfire-evacuation research is still in its infancy,” Mimbs Nice explains. Although robust fire codes for buildings do exist, the same can’t be said for whole communities. Meanwhile, the unpredictable nature of fire makes it difficult to model predicted outcomes and establish protocols.
Mimbs Nyce outlines the challenges faced by authorities and residents during a fire: notification, time to meet with loved ones and get essentials, and transit time out of an affected area, which can be affected by road design, exit routes, and traffic. In addition to evacuation preparations, a town can also designate a highly protected gathering place as a refuge for people unable to flee.
Ali Mosleh, director of the B. John Garrick Institute for the Risk Sciences at UCLA, emphasizes the importance of developing standards catered to the needs of different types of communities. “They might need different numbers of evacuation routes, and different sorts of community-warning systems. Existing tools and simulations, like the one run on Camp Fire data, can help guide policy makers.”
FULL STORY: The World Needs to Start Planning for the Fire Age

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

LA Falling Behind on Housing Goals
Last year, the city permitted just 30 percent of the number of housing units needed to meet a growing need.

Connecting Communities to Nature Close to Home
Los Angeles County’s Nature in Your Neighborhood program brings free, family-friendly wellness and nature activities to local parks, making it easier for residents to enjoy and connect with the outdoors.

Palmdale’s Beloved Water Park Gets $2 Million Upgrade
To mark its 20th anniversary, DryTown Water Park has undergone major renovations, ensuring that families across the Antelope Valley continue to enjoy safe, affordable, and much-needed water-based recreation in the high desert.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Clovis
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions