How Suburbs Are Fueling America’s Wildfire Crisis
What happens when cities expand into fire-prone landscapes—and what can we do about it? Jonah Susskind, Director of Climate Strategy at SWA, unpacks the overlooked realities of wildfire risk, why most modern cities are spreading in all the wrong directions, and how smart design can turn parks, neighborhoods, and planning policies into climate-resilient systems. From the “wildland-urban interface” to shelter-in-place strategies, this conversation blends environmental science, urban planning, and design thinking to illuminate the future of where and how we live.Subscribe to Most Podern on:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3zYvX2lRZOpHcZW41WGVrpApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/most-podern-podcast/id1725756164YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MostPodernInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/most.podernLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/most-podernLinks & ReferencesJonah Susskind - https://www.swagroup.com/principals/jonah-susskind/SWA Group - https://www.swagroup.com/Playbook for the Pyroscene (Free PDF) - https://www.swagroup.com/ideas/playbook-for-the-pyrosceneChapters0:00 – Intro: Urban Futures in a Burning World2:11 – What Is a Landscape Urbanist?5:24 – Why “Natural Disasters” Aren’t Natural Anymore8:16 – What Is Wildfire, Really?13:20 – Smoke, Soil, and the Carbon Cost13:44 – Designing for Fire: Myths and Realities16:10 – Lessons from Australia and the U.S.18:26 – Who’s Responsible at the Edge?19:30 – What Homeowners Need to Know21:54 – Policy, Enforcement, and the Zone Zero Debate25:36 – Why We Need Local, Nuanced Research30:56 – Rethinking the Wildland-Urban Interface33:10 – The WUI: Conflict, Desire, and Inequality37:12 – Building Pragmatic, Resilient Communities39:07 – Why East Coast Listeners Should Care Too42:35 – This Moment: On the Precipice44:12 – Where to Learn MoreKeywordswildfire resilience, built environment, suburbanization, urbanism, architecture, landscape architecture, design, urban planning, climate adaptation, landscape urbanism, wildland-urban interface, Jonah Susskind, SWA Group, climate strategy, suburban development, wildfire design, zone California, fireproof cities, smoke exposure effects, urban development
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