Calls for new planning approach in bushfire prone areas

Extreme weather events, including devastating Australian bushfires, have created the urgent need for a NEW approach to planning and building in high fire risk areas – according to Australian researchers.

Bushfires across the nation – have destroyed thousands of homes in recent years – as more homes pop up on the urban fringe .. and in the bush.

Professor Peter Newman from the Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute says climate change has increased the threat of bushfires – driving an urgent need to rethink the location and design of settlements.

He says we must take another look at these lifestyle zonings – on urban fringes – to help protect these high-risk communities.

He says a model based on new green technology infrastructure and new building materials also needs to be introduced for settlements in rural and coastal areas.