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."
FULL STORY: The West Is on Fire. Blame the Housing Crisis
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.
Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Housing and Fire Safety in California
A proposed development near the site of the devastating Camp Fire highlights the growing tension between building badly needed housing and protecting communities from heightened wildfire risk.
Coming Soon to Ohio: The Largest Agrivoltaic Farm in the US
The ambitious 6,000-acre project will combine an 800-watt solar farm with crop and livestock production.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
Dallas Surburb Bans New Airbnbs
Plano’s city council banned all new permits for short-term rentals as concerns about their impacts on housing costs grow.
Divvy Introduces E-Bike Charging Docks
New, circular docks let e-bikes charge at stations, eliminating the need for frequent battery swaps.
How Freeway Projects Impact Climate Resilience
In addition to displacement and public health impacts, highway expansions can also make communities less resilient to flooding and other climate-related disasters.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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.
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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
