Planning for Resilient Communities
Land Use Policy for Disaster Risk Management
This course was designed to help gateway community leaders, planners, and anyone seeking solutions for rising disaster risks and the impact they could have on their communities.
Our goal is to equip participants with foundational knowledge for understanding wildfire and flood risks, while highlighting strategies and policies from real-world communities across the West that minimize risk, reduce insurance costs, and support sustainable growth. These lessons draw from in-depth research on small and rural communities in the American West, as well as interviews with 25+ community leaders, planners, emergency managers, and resilience researchers who have navigated wildfire, flooding, and the governance challenges that come with them.
Whether you’re a planner working on a hazard mitigation plan, an emergency manager trying to build regional partnerships, or an elected official trying to understand your community’s risks, each lesson is full of real-world examples that show how communities have built resilience.
Check out the video below for an introduction to the course:
NOTE: This course is estimated to take ~6-8 hours to go through the main course content. We've also included many additional links, resources, and expandable "side trails" for participants to explore and watch at their leisure, however please note that will extend the course completion time.
Lessons in this course include:
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Lesson 1: How Did We Get Here? Understanding Development Patterns, Disaster Risk, and Land Use
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Lesson 2: Wildfire - Understanding Risk and Mitigation in the WUI and Beyond
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Lesson 3: Flooding - Understanding Risk and Mitigation for Floods
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Lesson 4: Understanding Insurance & Affordable Housing Challenges
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Lesson 5: Governance and Collaboration for Mitigation and Resilience
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Lesson 6: Foundations of Resilient Land Use Policy
Developing with Mitigation in Mind -
Lesson 7: Moving Forward with Confidence: Implementing Solutions and Measuring Impacts
What's In It For You?
Upon completion of this course, you will get the following:
- A digital certificate of completion from USU Extension
- A digital badge that can be linked to your LinkedIn profile
- 7 AICP Certificate Maintenance (CM) credits (for AICP members
COST: $80*
* Do you live in or work for a community in Utah? Use coupon code UTAH50 for 50% off! If cost is still a barrier, please reach out to liz.sodja@usu.edu for options.
Register Here >
Questions? Email liz.sodja@usu.edu
Funding for this training resource was provided by The Office of the Property Rights Ombudsman through the Land Use Training Fund:
