Alan Peter MARCH1, Lucy GROENHART1, Justin LEONARD2 1University of Melbourne; 2Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)

1. Human Settlement Indices for Bushfire
Risk in Australia
Alan March, Lucy Groenhart - University of Melbourne
Justin Leonard - CSIRO

2. Presentation:
•Australian Settlements & Recent History
•Bushfire Disaster Risks & Urban Planning
•Factors of Risk & Extant Policy
•Current Research

3. AUSTRALIAN SETTLEMENTS & RECENT HISTORY

4. Distribution of Australian Population
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011

5. Bushfire Risk Contours
(Blong.R.J, Sinai.D and Packham c2000 )

6. Require greater nuance of the
characteristics of settlements
R
Bushfire I Community
Hazard Characteristics
S
K
Environment

7. Bushfire in Victoria

8. 2009 Victoria, Australia Bushfire
173 lives lost
430,000 hectares land burnt
2000+ homes and 61 commercial premises

13. Bushfire Disaster Risks & Urban Planning
What is Urban Planning?
Bringing about favourable arrangements of land use
and human settlements

14. Bushfire Risk Factors
Topography
Fuel (Vegetation)
Climate and Weather
Buildings and Urban Morphology
Response, Human Factors & Management

15. Extant Policy
Mainly based on Buildings & Separation
Building code AS3959
Bushfire Management Overlay

17. CURRENT RESEARCH – URBAN MORPHOLOGY

18. What factors modify the movement of fire through a
settlement?

22. Data from a number of fire complexes from 2009
Victorian Bushfires are being assessed.

24. Assessed via GIS mapping
and data sets.
•Density of dwellings
•Topography (slope)
•Vegetation – type and
morphology
•Street width
•Street orientation
•Grass reserves, fire breaks,
perimeter roads
•Street network permeability
(access)

25. Density is Important
Fuel + wind + receiving environment = fire penetration

26. Space between Buildings

27. Vegetation near to structures

29. Fencing

30. Presentation:
•Australian Settlements & Recent History
•Bushfire Disaster Risks & Urban Planning
•Factors of Risk
•Extant Policy
•Current Research