Flame and Fortune in the American West
eBook - PDF

Flame and Fortune in the American West

  1. 272 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Flame and Fortune in the American West

Book details
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About This Book

Flame and Fortune in the American West creatively and meticulously investigates the ongoing politics, folly, and avarice shaping the production of increasingly widespread yet dangerous suburban and exurban landscapes. The 1991 Oakland Hills Tunnel Fire is used as a starting point to better understand these complex social-environmental processes. The Tunnel Fire isthe most destructive fireā€”in terms of structures lostā€”inCalifornia history. More than 3, 000 residential structures burned and 25 lives were lost. Although this fire occurred in Oakland and Berkeley, others like it sear through landscapes in California and the American West that have experienced urban growth and development within areas historically prone to fire. Simon skillfully blends techniques from environmental history, political ecology, and science studies to closely examine the Tunnel Fire within a broader historical and spatial context of regional economic development and natural-resource management, such as the widespread planting of eucalyptus trees as an exotic lure for homeowners and the creation of hillside neighborhoods for tax revenueā€”decisions that produced communities with increased vulnerability to fire. Simon demonstrates how in Oaklanda drive for affluence led to a state of vulnerability for rich and poor alike that has only been exacerbated by the rebuilding of neighborhoods after the fire. Despite these troubling trends, Flame and Fortune in the American West illustrates how many popular and scientific debates on fire limit the scope and efficacy of policy responses. These risky yet profitable developments (what the author refers to as theIncendiary), as well as proposed strategies for challenging them, are discussed in the context of urbanizing areas around the American West and hold global applicability within hazard-prone areas.

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Yes, you can access Flame and Fortune in the American West by Gregory L. Simon in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Physical Sciences & Geology & Earth Sciences. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Publisher
University of California Press
Year
2016
ISBN
9780520966161
Edition
1
Topic
Physical Sciences
Subtopic
Geology & Earth Sciences

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Flame and Fortune in the American West
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Contents
  7. Preface
  8. Acknowledgments
  9. Introduction
  10. PART I FLAME AND FORTUNE IN THE AMERICAN WEST: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE INCENDIARY
  11. PART II ILLUMINATING THE AFFLUENCE-VULNERABILITY INTERFACE IN THE TUNNEL FIRE AREA
  12. PART III HOW THE WEST WAS SPUN: DEPOLITICIZING THE ROOT CAUSES OF WILDFIRE HAZARDS
  13. PART IV AFTER THE FIRE: THE CONCOMITANT EXPANSION OF AFFLUENCE AND RISK
  14. Conclusion: From Excavating to Treating the Incendiary
  15. Notes
  16. References
  17. Index