The probability of having a code-related structure fire in Albuquerque is very small. Limited data suggests the City’s code-related fire rate may be better than the national rate. Albuquerque is a leader in sustainable “green” building. It also has less substandard housing than most other Southwest benchmark cities.

INDICATORS

• 26.1 Structure Fires with a Probable Code-Related Cause
• 26.2 Sustainable Building
• See Goal 1, Indicator 7.3 Substandard Housing

  LOCAL TREND:

The number of probable code-related fires varied from 18 to 43 during the period FY/05 to FY/08. The trend is increasing slightly, but considering the large number of structures in Albuquerque, the probability of having a code-related structure fire is very small, approximately 1 in 5,300 based on 2007 data. Interest in sustainable “green” building is increasing in Albuquerque. Green Path building permits increased from none in FY/07 to eight in FY/08. Green Path is an expedited permitting process for commercial and residential construction projects registered at certain LEED or Build Green New Mexico levels.

  NATIONAL/REGIONAL COMPARISON:

Although comparable data for other cities are not available, information from one study suggests that Albuquerque’s rate of probable code-related fires is lower than the national rate. Albuquerque is second of seven Southwest benchmark cities in the number of LEED registered and certified buildings in FY 2008. In 2007, the City adopted the Albuquerque Energy Conservation Code which, at the time of adoption, was the country’s most comprehensive and far-reaching standard for increasing energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption. Data in Indicator 7.3 shows Albuquerque has less substandard housing than five of six Southwest benchmark cities.

  CITIZEN PERCEPTION:

In a 2007 survey, Albuquerque residents considered this Desired Community Condition somewhat important and recognized the progress the City has made in creating safe, habitable, well-maintained, and sustainable built environments. Their perception of progress was 13th of all 51 DCCs and 2nd of the five Goal 4 DCCs.

Opportunity to Continue to Improve	LOCAL TREND IS:	Mixed
	ALBUQUERQUE, COMPARED TO OTHERS, IS:	Better
	CITIZEN PERCEPTION COMPARED TO DATA:	Matches

NOTE: For help in understanding this page, see Creating a Community Report Card.