Wildfires tend to start at the Wildland-Urban Interface: those border zones between cities and the open land surrounding them. Keeping the lid on sprawl, it can be argued, would tame the inferno.
As another summer of wildfires blazes on, it's hard not to notice the types of neighborhoods they regularly threaten. Adam Rogers writes, "The key to how we think about fire's severity [...] is not the number of fires, or even their magnitude, but where they are—and what's near them."
In fire-prone states like California, Texas, and Colorado, suburban sprawl often occupies the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) where wildfires often start. "Humans set most wildfires—95 percent of them, according to CalFire. That's a real problem when, as of 2004 in the continental US, the WUI was almost 278,000 square miles and contained 44.8 million housing units."
In a sense, the urban housing crisis exacerbates our risk from fire, and those affected are those priced out. "At a time when cities all over the country are experiencing housing crises, unable or unwilling to build enough units to accommodate growing populations, the greatest expansion of houses is on previously unbuilt spaces at the edges of cities."
Read the full story: The West Is on Fire. Blame the Housing Crisis
Nearly a third of US housing is in the wildland-urban interface — and at growing risk of wildfire
As suburbs increasingly mingle with undeveloped land, homes face a higher risk from destructive fires.
Home Insurers Are Fleeing California
Homeowners in the state are finding it increasingly difficult to secure insurance policies thanks to the growing risks of wildfire, drought, and other climate threats.
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.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
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Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
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Atlanta City Council unanimously backs $3.5 billion Beltline light rail project
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NYC plants over 18,000 trees, the most new foliage in a decade
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