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Resilient development

Resilient development integrates wildfire risk into the way communities are planned, built and managed, reducing exposure and vulnerability before disasters occur.

Preventing new development in the highest-risk areas, maintaining defensible space around settlements, protecting critical infrastructure and preserving natural buffers can all help reduce the likelihood that wildfires become catastrophic disasters.

Resilient building and mitigation practices are a cornerstone of this approach. Fire-resistant construction materials, ember-resistant design, appropriate roofing and ventilation systems, and the use of building codes tailored to wildfire hazards can significantly improve the survivability of homes and public infrastructure.

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Gloved hands connecting the power cable to the extension reel socket, with a yellow cable wound around the green drum during outdoor electrical setup.
Update
Electric companies don’t need to black out customers to prevent wildfires – here are 3 relatively fast, affordable solutions

A severe winter snow drought has left snowpack levels far below normal across the American West in 2026.

Conversation Media Group, the
Update
What old wildfires can teach us about protecting homes from embers

Studies of the aftermath of fast-moving wildfires like the Carr Fire in Shasta County and the Camp Fire in Butte County , both in 2018, show that blazes can flatten entire neighborhoods, leaving only one or two houses standing.

USA Today - Gannet Co. Inc.
Firefighter battling a urban fire in Los Angeles
Update
Los Angeles fires 12 months on: what does research tell us?

One year on from the fires researchers have focused on understanding the causes and impacts of the fires as well as evaluating vulnerabilities and resilience features that contributed to the patterns of destruction and efficacy of emergency management.

Natural Hazards Research Australia
Research briefs
Wildfire defense that works

Fire-prone communities are eager for solutions to better protect themselves. Now, a Berkeley-led study provides data on how mitigation strategies can reduce wildfire destruction by as much as 50%.

University of California, Berkeley
After a wildfire: Considerations for building environmental testing thumbnail
Documents and publications
After a wildfire: Considerations for building environmental testing

This resource, made accessible for property owners and health officials, is designed to help people better understand and resolve building safety questions in recovery after wildfires.

Purdue University
Wildfire damage, Santa Rosa, California
Research briefs
California communities can reduce wildfire damage by half. Here’s how.

A new UC Berkeley-led study demonstrates how two mitigation strategies — home hardening and defensible space — can have a major impact on wildfire destructiveness.

University of California, Berkeley
Cover
Documents and publications
Wildland-urban interface in Colorado: Perceptions and messaging for a statewide building code

To inform Colorado’s code development process, Headwaters Economics partnered with the University of Colorado Denver to assess what the barriers to statewide adoption might be and how policy design and communications strategies could help overcome them.

Headwaters Economics
Update
Building wildfire-resistant homes after disasters will save billions

Thousands of Americans lose their homes to wildfires every year, triggering a cascade of economic consequences. Rebuilding to wildfire-resistant standards offers a chance to reduce the risk of future disasters.

Headwaters Economics
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