In 2020, the United States had its worst wildfire season on record; those wildfires—as well other recent catastrophic events—are remarkable in the scale of their destruction. Many of these fires occurred in or near developed areas, putting even more people at risk and leading to dangerous air quality impacts. Moreover, climate change is extending the fire season and making the conditions for destructive fires more likely to occur.
Bigger, hotter, and more frequent wildfires are causing increasing amounts of community trauma, infrastructure destruction, and economic hardship across the United States. Firebreak: Wildfire Resilience Strategies for Real Estate explores how the real estate industry is responding to wildfire risks with building design, land use policy, and community resilience solutions.
Photo By California National Guard
At the invitation of the Sonoma Regional Climate Protection Authority (RCPA), a volunteer team of ULI members convened virtually in April 2021 to develop recommendations to enhance wildfire, energy, and economic resilience in Sonoma County, CA. The Panel’s presentation of recommendations is here, and the ULI Panel’s complete findings and recommendations will be published and publicly available in summer 2021.
Photo By Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
The Urban Resilience program hosted a live, exclusive demonstration of home wildfire resilience via video feed from the test chamber at the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, partnering with ten District Councils from wildfire-prone areas. Stream the webinar on Knowledge Finder or read a recap of the critical wildfire resilience takeaways from the webinar on Urban Land Online.
Photo By Shutterstock
After the 2013 flood and fire season, three communities in Northern Colorado invited ULI to host an Advisory Services Panel focused on how to enhance community resilience and preparedness for future weather events. Read the report here.