The recent expansion of municipality limits has resulted in an increase in the wildland-urban interface, causing fires in the wildlands to potentially encroach and enter urban centers. This paper proposes a fire-risk modeling framework within a climate resiliency context. The study uses large-scale geospatial datasets in combination with the analytical hierarchy process. Using various high-resolution-detailed datasets, an extensive list of variables was utilized to develop a novel fire-risk model. To support the goal of creating a climate-resilient urban municipality, an ecological vulnerability classification map was constructed to identify developable areas and areas under preservation. Regarding creating awareness for climate adaptation and zone, a brief discussion on the role of each stakeholder is provided. The discussion covers strategies for fire prevention and mitigation in high-risk areas/zones, as well as establishing several cornerstones for strategic planning and action to strengthen climate resilience of urban communities.
Elshabrawy, M; El-Basyouny, K; Kwon, T
Integrating ecological vulnerability and climate resiliency: a novel GIS-based method for fire hazard modeling
Canadian Journal Of Civil Engineering