Social Cohesion and Place Attachment in Wildfire and Flood Mitigation in Southern California

As climate change intensifies wildfire and flood risks in the wildland urban interface, understanding the social factors that shape mitigation behavior is critical for resilience planning. This study examines how social cohesion and place attachment influence household and collective mitigation efforts using a survey of over 500 residents in Southern California communities. Structural equation modeling is used to assess relationships between socio-demographic and environmental factors, social cohesion, place attachment, and self-reported mitigation behaviors. Mitigation outcomes include structural home improvements, defensible space creation, and participation in community preparedness initiatives. Results show that place attachment is positively associated with wildfire mitigation, flood mitigation, and collective mitigation. Social cohesion is positively associated only with collective mitigation. Homeownership is associated with wildfire mitigation but not flood mitigation. These findings highlight the importance of fostering place attachment and leveraging neighborhood networks to promote collective action and context-specific strategies to reduce risk in multi-hazard WUI settings.