Resilience to wildfires: Comparative insights of barriers and facilitators for spatial planning in Victoria and Chile

This paper explores the elements influencing and conditioning spatial planning processes for changing their systems based on new wildfire information. The research was approached as an inductive qualitative research, using a multiple case study strategy: the Chilean and the Victorian (Australia) spatial planning systems. The analysis considered the barriers and facilitators for change (willingness, understandings, and capacities), and the stages of processes of knowledge development for changing the spatial planning systems (identification, reframing, and implementation). Based on a cross-case synthesis of the two case studies, analytic generalizations about spatial planning's ability to change its instruments and practices for dealing with wildfires, and elements conditioning this ability, are suggested in the form of theoretical propositions: three overarching propositions, broken down into ten propositions specific to the stages of the process of knowledge development and change. These provide applied understandings of spatial planning mechanisms and processes that hinder or contribute to changing their instruments for dealing with wildfires. Furthermore, they suggest that the success of knowledge development and change processes requires the acceptance and use of the willingness, understanding, and capacity dynamics. Ultimately, this research contributes theoretical and practical insights for promoting wildfire resilience via the planning and governance of cities.