Reflections from the Mountain and Resort Town Planners Summit
I was invited to host a workshop on Ethical Space in planning for the Mountain and Resort Town Planners Summit. From October 11-13, roughly 80 of us gathered to discuss the unique challenges in planning for mountain and resort towns across Canada and the USA. The Summit is “multi-disciplinary, with programming designed for planners, designers, conservationists, elected officials, and anyone else interested in preserving the uniqueness of their mountain community. Past attendees have found the conference to be extremely helpful in finding solutions to day-to-day challenges, creating a network of peers from similar communities, and fostering big-picture thinking.” The summit was an incredible opportunity to learn from others while presenting information on Ethical Space, a topic many folks aren’t familiar with. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to go to my website (moenadeau.com) and learn more about it and the work I do to facilitate deeper understanding of it among organizations.
Read on for some reflections post-Summit:
As someone who lives in a mountain town, I feel both a deep sense of pride and uncertainty towards these spaces. I’m proud of the natural beauty here. Nelson (among many other mountain towns) is connected by countless walking, biking, and ski paths. We have numerous local events and volunteer organizations that promote getting outdoors. We support local through Community Support Agriculture, and co-op owned grocery stores.
However, I’m scared of my future here. The house I am renting recently sold, giving me two months notice to find a new space that suits my needs and budget. Rental and purchase prices have skyrocketed. Many of my friends are experiencing this same problem. Housing isn’t advertised to rent, we have to advertise ourselves as being the best tenants, with no baggage, in hopes we can find a less affordable space than the one we are currently in.
In addition, walking down my town’s main street, I see some diversity. But it is nothing compared to when I lived in Vancouver. A lot of folks look like me. I’ve heard time and time again there isn’t space for BIPOC, mobility-limited, etc. folks in this town. Why doesn’t Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism target these folks? How has this City continued to neglect such a large percentage of people?
At the Summit, there was general consensus that these towns have a housing crisis and lack diversity. Why is it that wealthy white people are the only people that get to access the outdoors? How can we collectively promote more diversity and affordability in these places we love so much? Will I be part of the population that says “I loved it there, but I just couldn’t make it work”.
What we need are planners to step up and create bylaws, policies, etc. that protect all people in these towns. People can’t do it alone.
