Research Seminar - Fire Futures: codesigning for resilience

Fire Futures: codesigning for resilience

Presented by: Dr Skye Doherty

Date: Friday 24 March 2023
Time: 12-1pm
Location: Online via Zoom and in-person at the SCA Writer's Studio (Level 6, Michie Building)

Abstract

Australia’s Black Summer fire season in 2019-20 highlighted the consequences of building communities at the urban-bush interface, without developing strategies for longer-term resilience for both people and the environment.

The communities of Mount Glorious and Mount Nebo, in the D’Aguilar National Park, north-west of Brisbane, are at risk of very high levels of bushfire intensity due to the mountain terrain, dense bushland and limited water supply. Declining environmental health, along with changing demographics, limited evacuation routes and a general lack of awareness about bushfire, further increase the risks.

In response, the local government council maintains an early warning system and along with the state emergency services, runs information sessions and circulates advice about disaster preparedness. The prevailing view among both agencies and residents is that in the event of a fire people will evacuate and insurance will cover the cost of rebuilding. This strategy tends to work against longer-term resilience strategies for both people and the environment.

In recent years some residents have begun lighting small-scale low intensity fires on private blocks with the aim of reducing fuel loads, overcoming fear of fire, and improving environmental health.

In this seminar we discuss a participatory design project that aims to develop communication, systems, and processes to support action in response to increased bushfire risk in Mount Glorious and Mount Nebo. We focus on the characteristics of these communities, how we have engaged with residents and agencies, and the design-led methods we have used to imagine a fire-resilient future and how to get there.

The project is an initiative of the Centre for Communication and Social Change and includes researchers from the Human-Centred Computing Research Group in ITEE. 

Presenter

Skye Doherty is a design researcher based in the School of Communication and Arts. She is uses creative and practice-led research methods to explore alternative futures and address wicked problems. She has worked on projects in journalism, law, and energy, among others. Her work results in both conceptual and practical outcomes.