Social vulnerability and wildfire in the wildland-urban interface : literature synthesis

24 pagesPeople living in the Pacific Northwest confront risks associated with environmental hazards such as wildfire. Vulnerability to wildfire hazard is commonly recognized as being spatially distributed according to geographic conditions that collectively determine the probability of exposure. For example, exposure to wildfire hazard is higher for people living in rural, forested settings than in a strictly urban neighborhood because rural housing is built in close proximity to the threat source, e.g., flammable landscapes such as forests and chaparral. Yet, even if levels of exposure are held constant, not all people are equally susceptible to wildfire events. In other words, some people are more vulnerable to harm than others. This aspect of vulnerability (i.e., social vulnerability) refers to social, economic, and cultural attributes that confer or limit access to material and informational resources, compounding simple exposure to hazards. The concept of social vulnerability refers to the socially constructed potential or susceptibility of people (as individuals, households, or communities) to be negatively affected by hazard events, such as wildfires. Thus, social vulnerability is a measure of the socioeconomic factors that combine to make a wildfire more of a disaster for some than others. Social vulnerability research contends that the potential effects of hazards such as wildfire, weather events, or climate change, are magnified by social conditions that place certain populations at a disadvantage relative to others in their ability to manage risks, respond to hazards, and minimize losses. This research shows how environmental hazards disproportionately affect socially vulnerable households and communities.This synthesis was made possible with funds from the Joint Fire Science Program and the University of Oregon