Abstract
Informal Settlements are a growing reality in urban spaces. These marginalized areas are
often at the forefront of environmental hazards. Settlements can experience flooding,
earthquakes, and landslides among other disasters. In this paper, I will explore how the
composition of informal communities in the Chilean city of Valparaíso are affected by urban
wildfires. My analysis makes use of data from over 20,000 informal residents in the Valparaíso
Region, as well as spatial data on fire appearances from 2023 to 2024 to find a correlation
between settlement characteristics and their proximity to wildfires.
High fire risk areas were less educated, contained a high proportion of bought and rented
parcels, and that these parcels were further developed compared to low fire risk areas. I suggest
that, to promote effective disaster risk reduction within informal spaces, the state must fully
legalize these areas and encourage community action to improve settlement conditions.
Advisor
Fitz Gibbon, Heather
Department
Urban Studies
Recommended Citation
Baumwart, Case, "We Didn’t Start the Fire: Natural Disaster Planning in Informal Settlements" (2025). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 11529.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/11529
Publication Date
2025
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2025 Case Baumwart