Emergency Planning in the Urban-Wildland Interface: Subdivision-Level Analysis of Wildfire Evacuations

Recent research indicates that better understanding and planning of wildfire-threatened residential subdivision evacuation is needed. In the past, fatalities may have been assisted by ineffective evacuation routing and egress, as well as density of housing units, when residents were unable to leave subdivisions when needed. Simulation representing various neighborhood-level evacuation scenarios under ranges of threat urgency and housing density were used to show how street network layout and development density affect evacuation. Traffic relationships that can be accommodated by a roadway network; number and location of egress points; and network entry and exit times by vehicles are illustrated by study results. Time and/or egress capacity increases or decreases needed to move evacuees out of the threat zone are shown to correspond with changes in traffic volume. Evacuation clearance times decreased and total exiting traffic increased with network changes, such as adding and/or modifying exit locations.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/07339488
• Authors:
  • Wolshon, Brian
  • 0000-0002-1703-2995
  • Marchive III, Emile
• Publication Date: 2007-3

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 73-81
• Serial:
  • Journal of Urban Planning and Development
  • Volume: 133
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: American Society of Civil Engineers
  • ISSN: 0733-9488
  • EISSN: 1943-5444
  • Serial URL: http://ascelibrary.org/journal/jupddm

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Disasters and emergency operations; Evacuation; Fire; Forecasting; Highway capacity; Neighborhoods; Networks; Residential areas; Routes and routing; Simulation; Subdivisions; Threats; Traffic relationships; Wildfires
• Uncontrolled Terms: Barriers to exit; Egress; Entrances; Exiting traffic; Exiting vehicles; Housing density; Road networks
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; I21: Planning of Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01045376
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 30 2007 7:48AM