As Central Texas Population Grows, So Does Fire Risk

Sprawl in and around Austin is contributing to growing wildfire risks, and local officials worry about a lack of public awareness of the issue.

2 minute read

June 1, 2023, 8:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Aerial view of scorched forest area in Round Mountain, central Texas

Jefferson Carroll/Wirestock Creators / Wildfire in Round Mountain, Texas

Fire risk is making its way from California to Texas along with tech companies and workers looking for more affordable housing, writes Patric Sisson in Bloomberg CityLab. As developers build more communities in the Austin suburbs to accommodate the growing population, neighborhood sprawl is increasingly encroaching on local forests.

“In general, the wildfire peril in Texas can’t compare to that in California, which is among the highest in the world, said Sam Carter, founding principal of Resilient Cities Catalyst.” But Austin city council member Alison Alter says “The fire risk in Austin is pretty serious, and I don’t think there’s a level of awareness that there is in California.” According to the article, over one third of Austin is at ‘high risk’ of fire.

Austin has experienced its own deadly fires in the past: “In 2011, nearly 1,700 buildings were destroyed when a wildfire tindered by downed power lines raced through drought-parched subdivisions in Bastrop County, southeast of Austin. More than 30,000 acres burned and two people were killed.” Conditions can be made worse by other natural disasters such as ice storms and deep freezes like the one that damaged infrastructure and felled trees and power lines across Texas in 2021.

“Creating a more fire-resilient central Texas would require a holistic approach and a lot of coordination between property owners: Unlike California, with its massive stock of state and national forests preserves and parks, 90% of Texas land is privately owned.” And while there is little optimism that builders will stop building, some cities are developing fire protection plans and coordinating fire response policies to prepare for future blazes.

Tuesday, May 30, 2023 in Bloomberg CityLab

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Google street view image of strip mall in suburban Duncanville, Texas.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall

A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

July 6 - Parking Reform Network

Blue tarps covering tents set up by unhoused people along chain link fence on concrete sidewalk.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work

Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

July 6 - Next City

Aerial tram moving along cable in hilly area in Medellin, Colombia.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle

Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.

July 6 - InTransition Magazine