Neighborhoods not previously at risk of flooding face new challenges as burn scars from recent fires leave them vulnerable to floods.
Like other Western states, Arizona is experiencing longer, more destructive wildfires. “And now,” writes Ryan Heinsius for Arizona Public Radio, “the burn scars left behind are causing flooding in neighborhoods that previously weren’t flood prone.” According to Heinsius, “Local emergency officials have scrambled to ease the impacts on residents, but long-term solutions won’t come immediately.”
“Arizona’s experiencing about a 2-degree increase in temperature Celsius, resulting in really just a variety of conditions that provide a huge hazard,” says Andrew Sanchez Meador, executive director of the Ecological Restoration Institute at Northern Arizona University.
For now, “Officials have provided as much short-term mitigation as they can in the form of hundreds of thousands of sandbags and miles of concrete barriers just to weather monsoon season.” Experts say long-term solutions include forest restoration projects that can protect communities in the coming years.
FULL STORY: The inevitable next time: Flagstaff residents grapple with the new reality of wildfire and flood
How US Cities Can Prepare for Climate Disasters
Resilience, encompassing infrastructure, governance, economic strength, and social cohesion, is critical for cities to mitigate rising climate risks like flooding, wildfires, and heat, ensuring long-term recovery and adaptability.
Saving Lower Manhattan
A debate over how to protect the East River waterfront from Sandy-level flooding and storm damage has delayed the project as community activists decry the city's last-minute change of plans.
Flooding Less of a Concern as Hurricane Memories Fade
Residents of Houston are less likely to think of flooding as a concern, or to think development should be prohibited in flood-prone areas, as in the years immediately following Hurricane Harvey.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie