Wildfires

Plains Fire

Climate Change Redefining Wildfires on the Great Plains

Wildfires, exacerbated by climate change, are ravaging the Great Plains with new intensity, according to a new study.

June 18, 2017 - The Washington Post

Wildfire

Coming to Grips With the Future of Wildfires

As wildfires become bigger, more frequent, and more expensive to fight, new methods for preventing the worst impacts of fire will be necessary, according to a new study.

April 22, 2017 - Pacific Standard

Wildfire

Wildfires Becoming More Common in Southern States

This year has seen a significant uptick in wildfires across much of the South, spurred by drought and heat waves. The region's pattern of development increases the potential danger.

December 16, 2016 - FiveThirtyEight

Wildfire

Wildfires and Climate Change

Study links wildfires to climate change.

October 24, 2016 - Five Thirty Eight

Erskine Fire

Study: Forest Fires Have Doubled in the Western United States

Wildfires ravaged the western United States again this year, reflecting the new normal of climate change.

October 11, 2016 - The San Jose Mercury News

Flooding

Five Canadian Cities Already Facing Climate Change

The CBC produced an interactive feature about the dangers of climate change in Canada, focusing on five cities threatened by environmental factors like sea-level rise, flooding, and wildfires.

October 10, 2016 - CBC Radio

Fort McMurray Fire

Thank Climate Change and Sprawl for Worsening Wildfires

Along with climate conditions, urban sprawl is intensifying wildfires and increasing the damage they do.

July 8, 2016 - Undark

Strategic Land Use Planning Could Lower the Cost of Wildfires

New research says land use patterns have increased the costs of wildfire protection, so strategic land use planning would help lower the costs of wildfire protection.

February 9, 2016 - University of Wyoming

2015 Wildfire Season Breaks Records—Congress Sticks With the Status Quo

Congress could have had a landmark moment—but it stopped short of passing the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act. Meanwhile the wildfire season is wrapping up as the most expensive ever.

December 19, 2015 - USA Today

More Americans Living Next Door to Fire Danger

A summer of drought and devastating fires has demonstrated the dangers of allowing residential developments to sprawl ever farther into wild, natural environments.

October 5, 2015 - CityLab

Fire

On the Altered Landscapes of the Wildfire West

The heightened intensity of wildfires in the Western United States, along with other human factors, are short-circuiting the natural processes of rebirth.

September 21, 2015 - The New York Times

Lessons from Washington's Record Breaking Wildfire Season

The largest fire in the state history is burning in Washington. This year's particularly bad fires had predictable, perhaps preventable, origins.

September 2, 2015 - The Seattle Times

A 'New Era of Wildfires' in Alaska

The last great U.S. wilderness won't forever remain the frozen tundra imagined by residents of the Lower 48. A new report finds evidence of Alaska's transformation in the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires around the state.

June 26, 2015 - Climate Central

Fighting Wildfires with Big Data

WIFIRE, a real-time and data-driven simulation, prediction, and visualization technology, combines satellite and remote sensor data to forecast the potential spread of wildfires.

August 13, 2014 - Information Week

Poor Planning Decisions Exacerbate Wildfires—Should Locals be Held Accountable?

A new study by the union of Concerned Scientists faults local development policies that place homes in wildfire-prone areas for the increasing cost of wildfires. Should local agencies split the bill for the risks they've permitted?

August 5, 2014 - KUOW

The Incredible, Rising Cost of Forest Fires

The kicker in a recent article about the current realities of forest fires—and the cost of fighting them—in the United States: The federal government spends 624 percent more on fires than it did 20 years ago.

July 29, 2014 - The Washington Post - Wonkblog

Congress' Head-in-the-Sand Approach to Fire Management

The way Congress has appropriated funds for the prevention of forest fires, and fighting forest fires when they occur, guarantees that they will become more costly and dangerous in the future.

May 21, 2014 - Vox

Half the Country Now Facing Drought

On the flip-side of the polar vortex in the climate news department, drought conditions are worsening across the country. In much of the West, the drought means water supply challenges and a growing threat of fire.

May 16, 2014 - Vox

Fight Fires with Funds: New Federal Funding Mechanism Proposed for Wildfires

“Robbing Peter to pay Paul” and “thumb in the dike” describe the way the federal government has been funding the cost of fighting the nation’s wildfires. President Obama’s new budget proposal could change the current arrangement.

February 26, 2014 - The Denver Post

Sunny California Is Getting a Whole Lot Warmer

With the number of days of 'extreme heat' on the rise, and dramatic increases projected, will global warming melt the Golden State?

September 8, 2012 - Grist

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

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