Disaster Seminar Series: The Urban Dimensions of Wildfires

Join Y-EMERGE for our ongoing Disaster Seminar Series. This session will feature S Harris Ali (York University) presenting on the Urban Dimensions of Wildfire.

Abstract: This presentation will consider how contemporary urban theory may be used to gain some insight into the proliferation and impacts of wildfires.  Particular attention will be on how the analysis of the “urban” no longer simply involves an exclusive focus on the city core as traditionally emphasized, but rather involves a consideration of the interdependencies between the city and the peripheral areas around the city – including suburban and exurban areas.  In that light, I will briefly introduce and explain such perspectives as “extended urbanization” or “planetary urbanization” and discuss the implications of such perspectives for understanding the politics and ecology of wildfires.