NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region

Tags: social sciences, adaptation planning, environmental adaptation, community resilience

Project Description: Conducted in conjunction with a series of physical and life science ArcticNet projects, this collaborative study explores how local planning and development functions might serve to build community resilience. Engaging Arctic coastal community members in timely knowledge-sharing and planning respecting ongoing adaptations to local environmental changes is an immediate objective with the longer-term goal of the project being the development of a “learning” practice of planning that takes greater account of those factors the community sees as fundamental to its sustainability. As a professional planner, the researcher will approach this project as a participant-observer guided by local steering committees, participatory action methodology and principles derived from resilience theory. For each selected community, work will follow the same general pattern: introductory visits (generally in the company of associated researchers), local pre-planning, environmental change and community data compilation, local planning consultations, and local plan preparation pursuant to local committee review and editing. Following the intensive three-week planning consultation period in each community, further visits will be planned as required and in consultation with the local steering committee. The project will be conducted within the Hamlet boundaries of Sachs Harbour and Tuktoyatuk. In each community, an open, participatory, community-guided planning process will be carried out, consisting primarily of public meetings with residents, interspersed with participatory community research and inventory activities. With the guidance of a local advisory group, special efforts will be made to engage Elders and youth. Up-to-date geophysical scientific findings, indigenous knowledge and existing governance mechanisms will be integrated and local plans will be produced. Subject to community direction, the project and its outcomes will likely be communicated to the general public using local and regional radio, print materials (posters, pamphlets), school and social activities, regular open meetings, and through other identified contacts in the community’s network. Given the interest of the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs in local planning, information about the project may also be disseminated as appropriate through the territorial government. The study will be conducted in Sachs Harbour and Tuktoyaktuk from February 1 to March 10, 2006, and from August 12 to August 25, 2006.