Urban Wildfire Landscapes: Architecture for Fire Stewardship in the Pyrocene

Abstract

As the Wildland-Urban Interface expands throughout the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, wildfire remains a defining condition of the territory. This thesis investigates how architecture can engage with urban wildfire landscapes as part of a broader shift toward fire stewardship in the Pyrocene era. By using forensic historical data mapping and integrating stewardship with scientific practices, the study engages interdisciplinary allies of wildfire. Architecture is positioned as a land remediation tool, supporting proactive techniques such as prescribed fire, species regeneration, and meteorological monitoring. These practices reshape the anthropogenic accumulation of fuel in fire-prone landscapes, reducing the intensity of future wildfires and promoting the regeneration of pyro-adaptive species. By implementing interventions before catastrophic wildfires, such as the 2023 McDougall Creek fire, the thesis envisions alternative outcomes for resilient futures. Ultimately, it retells fire’s story as an elemental force that transforms and cocreates territorial resilience, fostering reciprocal relationships between humans, nature, and fire.