Social vulnerability and wildfire in the wildland-urban interface : literature synthesis
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Date
2019
Authors
Coughlan, Michael R.
Ellison, Autumn
Cavanaugh, Alexander H., 1988-
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon
Abstract
People 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.
Description
24 pages