A risk assessment of landscape hazards for building sites in the Front Range mountains of Colorado

Abstract

Predictive spatial modelling is becoming an integral part of landscape planning. One emerging modelling approach is risk assessment. This paper illustrates the application of risk assessment techniques within a regional context for landscape planning and design, as urban development expands into mountainous building environments. The investigation examines the susceptibility of building sites in a portion of the Front Range mountains of Colorado/Wyoming to catastrophic disturbance by four landscape hazards: flooding, rockfall, fire and avalanche. A hazard rating model is applied to a portion of the Front Range, the Pingree Park vicinity, by employing geographic information system technology. We discovered that, below the tree‐line, approximately 75% of the landscape contained a high risk rating and the remaining portion a moderate risk rating. This study implies that there is no long‐term, safe building site in the study area. Assuming that the Pingree Park vicinity is a representative sample of the Front Range, our results would indicate that the long‐term prospects for structures in the mountainous region of Colorado are not particularly promising; however, much more extensive study would be required before a definitive answer could be derived. Nevertheless, this investigation illustrates the basic principles and presents essential literature for landscape risk assessment planning.

Key Words:

• risk assessment
• environmental planning
• geographic information systems
• landscape hazards
• landscape ecology