Born and raised in California, I am all too familiar with the effects of wildfire. I use quantitative tool-set fused with a theoretical framework from economic geography to advance research essential to prepare society for the imminent threats of climate change and related natural hazards. I am currently working on quantifying the economic implications of urban expansion into high wildfire risk areas. There is a need to understand how society’s decisions, like housing development into high wildfire risk wildland areas puts not only those communities at risk but adds an externalized burden on all of society. Overarchingly, I integrate big data like satellite imagery and large social surveys to unlock novel social science insights.