As part of Scion’s five-year Extreme Wildfire research programme, social scientists are investigating how decisions throughout planning, design and construction lead to homes being built with either higher or lower wildfire resilience.
As the climate warms, there will be increasing risk of wildfire in many parts of New Zealand. Meanwhile, new housing developments are springing up on the fringes of urban areas, creating more chances that humans will cause wildfires, and that more people and assets will be exposed to wildfires when they do occur.
During a recent case study to learn about how prepared people are for wildfire in the Queenstown Lakes District, Scion social scientists learned that what property owners could do to mitigate risk was often pre-determined by planning decisions.
“We need people to be making good decisions early on about wildfire risk,” says Scion’s Lisa Langer. “For example, houses are being built of flammable materials, close to flammable vegetation that is protected and can’t be cleared, and roads are too narrow for fire trucks or for rapid evacuation in some high wildfire risk areas.”
Working with GNS Science, the Scion team have since assessed legislative and policy frameworks for managing wildfire risk and have prepared a draft White Paper. A key recommendation to government is that wildfire should be considered alongside other natural hazards at the planning stage of new developments.
- Collaborators: Fire and Emergency New Zealand, GNS Science, Queenstown Lakes District Council.
