The Mitigated Neighborhood: Exploring Homeowner Associations' Role in Resident Wildfire-Mitigation Actions

Abstract Considerable research has explored homeowner wildfire-mitigation efforts identifying many salient factors that help predict acceptance and behaviors. A growing body of literature is unlocking the dynamics of formal associations' roles in promoting fire adapted communities. This mixed-method study adds to the research by using a planned behavior theoretical lens, to explore homeowner associations' (HOAs') role in resident wildfire mitigation. Through HOA key informant interviews and a survey study of a Western midsized city, our results show that HOAs have a significant impact by providing important information linkages and reducing barriers to completing home mitigation. Most importantly, HOAs act as a neighborhood champion, taking on time-consuming tasks involved in becoming and maintaining a Firewise USA® community status. Many non-HOA neighborhoods lack the capacity to take on such tasks limiting their access to benefits provided by the designation. We take these results and propose avenues to engaging non-HOA neighborhoods.