Kelly Vodden - Böcker

Canadian regional development today involves multiple actors operating within nested scales from local to national and even international levels. Recent approaches to making sense of this complexity have drawn on concepts such as multi-level governance, relational assets, integration, innovation, and learning regions. These new regionalist concepts have become increasingly global in their formation and application, yet there has been little critical analysis of Canadian regional development policies and programs or the theories and concepts upon which many contemporary regional development strategies are implicitly based.This volume offers the results of five years of cutting-edge empirical and theoretical analysis of changes in Canadian regional development and the potential of new approaches for improving the well-being of Canadian communities and regions, with an emphasis on rural regions. It situates the Canadian approach within comparative experiences and debates, offering the opportunity for broader lessons to be learnt.This book will be of interest to policy-makers and practitioners across Canada, and in other jurisdictions where lessons from the Canadian experience may be applicable. At the same time, the volume contributes to and updates regional development theories and concepts that are taught in our universities and colleges, and upon which future research and analysis will build.

Broader political and economic changes are dramatically reshaping rural and small-town communities in British Columbia and across Canada. Increasingly, however, much of the responsibility for community-based prosperity and survival is falling to communities themselves.This book is drawn from a three-year participatory research project with four communities in British Columbia: two municipalities and two Aboriginal communities. The first part of the book examines historical and contemporary forces of restructuring, linking the development of rural communities with the legacy of resource development and Aboriginal marginalization across the province. The second part of the book presents the theoretical and practical dynamics of the community economic development (CED) process and outlines a variety of strategies communities can initiate to diversify their local economies.Second Growth advances understanding of local development by addressing two important deficiencies in the CED literature. First, CED is a rapidly expanding field that requires enhanced theoretical direction and historical analysis. Second, there is a need for systematic case study analyses of CED strategies in rural, small-town conditions. As communities struggle to confront complex forces of change, sound theoretical frameworks and tested best practices are important tools in facilitating the prospects for a second growth in rural and small-town communities.The book will appeal to educators and students of rural and economic geography, policy makers, and citizens who wish to better understand the transformations taking place across the rural landscape.

Canadian regional development today involves multiple actors operating within nested scales from local to national and even international levels. Recent approaches to making sense of this complexity have drawn on concepts such as multi-level governance, relational assets, integration, innovation, and learning regions. These new regionalist concepts have become increasingly global in their formation and application, yet there has been little critical analysis of Canadian regional development policies and programs or the theories and concepts upon which many contemporary regional development strategies are implicitly based.This volume offers the results of five years of cutting-edge empirical and theoretical analysis of changes in Canadian regional development and the potential of new approaches for improving the well-being of Canadian communities and regions, with an emphasis on rural regions. It situates the Canadian approach within comparative experiences and debates, offering the opportunity for broader lessons to be learnt.This book will be of interest to policy-makers and practitioners across Canada, and in other jurisdictions where lessons from the Canadian experience may be applicable. At the same time, the volume contributes to and updates regional development theories and concepts that are taught in our universities and colleges, and upon which future research and analysis will build.

This book analyzes the experiences of communities facing major challenges relating to resource dependency and community sustainability, drawing on specific examples from the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It offers a methodology of self-analysis for communities facing similar challenges, inspired by the ups and downs, local strategies for self-analysis, and collaborative work toward new futures in this Canadian province.Life in hundreds of small coastal settlements revolved around the cod fishery, until the fishery was no more viable. Communities have had to rethink their strengths, reconsider their assets, and imagine potential futures in the wake of events such as colonization and the collapse of the fishing industry. Their experiences are relevant for other parts of the world where formerly central resources are depleted or lose their value, and communities face the need for transition. The capacity to imagine different futures is rooted in the ability to critically consider strengths and weaknesses alike. The authors skillfully dissect and illuminate the conditions that can enable the reconsideration of local assets and narratives, toward a more sustainable future. The variety of these conditions, ranging from social memory to public debate, policy tools and institutional capacity, decision arenas, paths for participation, and distributed strategic leadership, are laid out clearly and illustrated vividly through vignettes written by individuals who participated in the events described. This book culminates in a flexible yet clearly structured method of self-analysis, useful for communities interested in rethinking their strengths and working toward new futures.This book will appeal to students, scholars, and professionals interested in community development and redevelopment and offers a new understanding of the mechanics of local and regional resilience

Place Peripheral examines community and regional development in rural, island, and remote locales from a place-based approach. This is a timely edited collection, addressing themes that are receiving considerable attention in Canada and internationally as local communities, scholars, researchers and public policy analysts strive to better understand and apply place-based strategies in rural and remote regions. The volume and its contributors examine place-based economic development strategies, recognizing the broader and deeper significance, meanings, and attachments often associated with place and also interrogating such relationships as may exist between sense of place, cultural and social development, and environmental stewardship.