Wildfires
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.
80% of California homes built between 2020-2022 are in high fire risk areas
In 2020, California wildfires destroyed nearly a fifth of homes they came in contact with.
Wildfires have burned 2.3 million acres this year — before wildfire season
This year's fires are not contained to the West, with wildfires destroying hundreds of thousands of acres in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.
LA’s Laws Against Rent Gouging are Going Unused — Not Because it’s not Happening
The county has not fined anyone under new laws passed after last year’s wildfires.
NorCal's First Certified ‘Wildfire-Resilient’ Community Opens Near Sacramento
The 24-home Stone Canyon development goes beyond California’s building code for fire-resistant individual homes to include neighborhood-level fire resilience standards.
AirBnb Commits Empty Los Angeles Listings for Emergency Housing Within 24 Hours of Future Disasters
The company’s nonprofit arm formalized an agreement to offer free housing to residents after disasters.
The Overlooked Spaces That Can Prevent the Spread of Fire
The space between homes can as much as double a chance’s home of survival during a fire.
One Year After the LA Fires, Just 13% of Damaged Homes Have a Rebuilding Permit
After a slow start, permitting is starting to pick up.
California Group Threatens to Sue Governor Over Post-fire Duplex Ban
A July executive order prohibits property owners from building multiple units in areas affected by the January Los Angeles wildfires.
Over a Quarter of US Homes Face ‘Severe or Extreme’ Climate Risk
The number of U.S. homes at risk from hurricanes, fires, or flooding is valued at close to $13 trillion.
Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.
Tenant Advocates: Rent Gouging Rampant After LA Wildfires
The Rent Brigade says it's found evidence of thousands of likely instances of rent gouging. In some cases, the landlords accused of exploiting the fires had made campaign donations to those responsible for enforcement.
Wildlife Rebounds After the Eaton Fire
Following the devastation of the Eaton Fire, the return of wildlife and the regrowth of native plants are offering powerful signs of resilience and renewal.
From Planning to Action: How LA County Is Rethinking Climate Resilience
Chief Sustainability Officer Rita Kampalath outlines the County’s shift from planning to implementation in its climate resilience efforts, emphasizing cross-departmental coordination, updated recovery strategies, and the need for flexible funding.
Tackling Soil Contamination With Nature-Based Solutions
Los Angeles County residents and experts are turning to nature-based methods like bioremediation to address long-standing and fire-exacerbated soil contamination without resorting to costly and disruptive removal.
Nevada Bills Aim to Establish Home Insurance Assurance Amidst Wildfire Risk
Republican sponsor hopes the FAIR plan would be “a true market of last resort.”
Rethinking Wildfire Defense: How a Landscape Approach Can Protect Neighborhoods
Post-fire analysis of the Eaton Fire reveals that a landscape approach — including fire-resistant vegetation, home hardening, and strategic planning — can help reduce wildfire risk, challenging assumptions that trees and plants are primary fire hazards.
California Governor Suspends CEQA Reviews for Utilities in Fire Areas
Utility restoration efforts in areas affected by the January wildfires in Los Angeles will be exempt from environmental regulations to speed up the rebuilding of essential infrastructure.
NOAA: Southwest ‘Megadrought’ to Persist
Roughly 40 percent of the 48 lower U.S. states are currently in some state of ‘abnormally dry conditions.’
Report Outlines Strategies for Resilient Wildfire Recovery in LA
Project Recovery offers a roadmap for rebuilding more sustainable and climate-resilient communities after wildfires and other disasters.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
