Wildfires in California continue to destroy communities, and it is becoming ever clearer that fuel management alone is not enough to make communities safe.  Recent research has shown that Californians continue to build in fire prone areas, often directly after fires occur. At the same time, research shows that some types of developments are safer than others. Combined, this suggests that land use planning and urban design can play an important role in helping us learn to live with fire.

At a workshop in January 2019, University of California researchers presented their latest research findings on wildfire and land use planning and also introduced some new best practices for the planning community.  Professional planners had an opportunity to engage with academic research as well as critique and offer suggestions to the continued development of a best practices guide.

Goals of the workshop included:

• increased awareness of recent research
• constructive feedback on a best practices guide
• and identifying barriers to using land use planning and urban design as a wildfire protection tool.  

The Fire Informed Land Use Planning Workshop will be led by the following UC academics:

• Van Butsic, UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Specialist in Land Use Scientist, UC Berkeley
• Sabrina Drill, UCCE Natural Resource Advisor serving Los Angeles and Ventura Counties
• Max Moritz, UCCE Specialist in Wildfire, UC Santa Barbara
• Matthew Shapero, UCCE Livestock & Range Advisor serving Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties

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