Research on rural communities demonstrates urban dependence
New Rural Economy Project explores challenges facing rural regions and why we can't afford to ignore them
;)
Twillingate, Nfld is one of 32 rural communities being studied by the NRE2 research team under Sociology Professor Bill Reimer. This second phase of the research seeks to understand how communities identify and adapt to change. Twillingate was also the site of a recent NRE2 conference, allowing other members of the team the opportunity to gather from across the country and exchange information.
Photo by don loveridge
Ask most city dwellers about country living and you may hear about crystal lakes, fresh air and no need to lock your door at night.
On the other hand, you might hear a litany of problems related to isolation, dying economies and an anachronistic lifestyle.
Ask Sociology Professor Bill Reimer and you will get the benefit of his 18 years researching rural communities. He is currently coming to the end of the second phase of the New Rural Economy Project (NRE2).
The project began in 1997 by asking what role rural communities had in the economy, and what resources should be allocated to them.
As Reimer put it during a lab visit by President Claude Lajeun-esse and Vice-Provost Research Truong Vo-Van, “What are the challenges for those communities that are growing, and what are the options for those shrinking?”
NRE2 has the support of a national network of 40 researchers, dozens of graduate students and international contacts — Japan has adopted the model to two of its communities. The Canadian communities chosen were selected on a number of criteria. For instance, 16 are far from urban centres and 16 are not; 16 have international economic ties and 16 have local economies.
All were analyzed in terms of services, governance, communications and environment.
;)
Tumbler Ridge, B.C. faced economic devastation when their major employer, the local mine, shut down a decade ago. Community officials decided to reinvent the town as a retirement haven and convinced authorities to maintain sservices while they built up a second industry. Economic changes reopened the mine and now the region is thriving with both the mine and retirees.
Photo by greg halseth
How these communities meet and adapt to change has become the focus of this second phase of the research. The team developed a dynamic framework for understanding how these communities identify their assets and liabilities and respond to them.
For instance, Cap-à-l’aigle, Que., turned a community interest in lilacs into the focus of an annual festival that attracts tourists from around the world.
“What we’re seeing is the urban/rural interface, you can’t look at one side without the other,” Reimer said.
That interdependence has become an important element of Reimer’s research. In broad strokes, cities count on rural areas to furnish natural resources, food and fresh water, yet cities rarely consider the demands their needs put on communities.
“Being able to offer cheap food is a policy issue, but keeping the price of food down has an impact on rural economies.” These towns must continue to supply inexpensive food while paying for increased salaries, materials and transportation costs.
Similarly, Reimer pointed out that certain policies are not scaleable. Legislating a standard of water treatment is manageable in urban areas but may over-tax the limited staff responsible for a far less dense population in rural areas.
;)
Hussar, Alta. is another community being researched by the project. The 32 communities were selected based on a complex series of criteria in an effort to provide a systematic way to consider a number of variables when determining the impact of various internal and external challenges.
Photo by peter adepdaile
These kinds of policy implications are an important component of NRE2. Last year, the federal rural secretariat asked researchers for proposals on the allocation of funds from the gas tax.
Reimer can cite several examples of cities that redirect taxes collected on water use or food products to nearby rural communities as repayment for the pressure they put on those economies. “These rural/urban alliances are crucial.”
Addressing the rural/urban divide is built into the structures and process of NRE2. Researchers work with communities on capacity-building strategies. Their biannual meetings are held in the areas they research. For information, click here.