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The impact of land use planning on wildfire risk: a study in Southern California

Source(s): California Yimby
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Over the past three decades, most new homes in California have been built in or near the wildland-urban interface (WUI). As catastrophic fires in the WUI grow worse with climate change, effective fire-risk reduction strategies are essential. 

In , Alexandra D. Syphard, Avi Bar Massada, Van Butsic, and Jon E. Keeley modeled three different development scenarios in San Diego to investigate how land use planning can influence the future probability of housing loss due to wildfires.

Key Takeaways

  • Infill development produced the most efficient use of land, with the highest housing density; and the homes built were at the lowest fire risk.
  • Leapfrog development – the construction of housing in isolated, undeveloped areas – consumed the most land to build homes at the lowest density; the resulting homes were at the highest risk of fire.
  • To mitigate the risk of housing loss from wildfire, policymakers should concentrate growth on infill parcels where the risk is lowest.

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Hazards Wildfire
Themes Structural safety Urban risk and planning
Country and region United States of America

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