2006-06-22 Author: 800 CHAB News |
![]() |
Two University of Saskatchewan economists have been awarded $250,000 from Infrastructure Canada to study how joint planning between expanding urban centres and their neighboring rural communities can enhance prosperity throughout their regions. Though cities and their neighboring communities are often interdependent, there is very little interactive planning around issues such as transportation corridors, zoning, sewage and water requirements, economic development, recreation, and environmental protection. "Creating a more cohesive rural-urban infrastructure plan could help ease congestion, slow urban sprawl, and preserve valuable green space, while stimulating rural revitalization and enhancing rural quality of life," says U of S agricultural economist Mark Partridge who holds the Canada Research Chair in the New Rural Economy. Partridge and fellow agricultural economist Rose Olfert will study the commuting, land use, and employment patterns for communities across the country. They will develop models that cities and their supporting rural areas can use to plan together to build shared economic regions. They will identify both problems and successes, information that will guide urban and rural planners and policy makers. "Increasingly, Canada's effective communities are neither urban nor rural, but a combination of the two," Partridge says. "Yet, although they depend on each other, governance structures in the city and the country aren't coordinated to reflect this reality." Saskatoon will serve as the first of two communities to receive detailed scrutiny as a case study in the research, with the other two to be chosen later. A further 10 communities will also be selected for special scrutiny, though in less detail. "Many commuters live in the rural areas surrounding Saskatoon and the information provided by this study will be important to the future of regional infrastructure planning," says Saskatoon city planner Lorne Sully. One graduate student, a post-doctoral fellow and a research associate with the project will have a chance to work with city planners and transportation specialists to focus on the practical aspects of infrastructure planning, such as roads, sewer, water and electric service. The researchers note that cities are Canada's engines of growth and these expanding urban centres are sprawling into their rural fringe, encroaching on the country with acreages and bedroom communities. More than 80 per cent of Canadians now live in cities and suburbs, and another 10 per cent or more live within a one-hour commute of a city. Infrastructure Canada funding is being provided by the Peer Reviewed Research Studies program. This is augmented with in-kind contributions totaling $160,000 from the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation (CRRF), the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), and the City of Saskatoon. Ultimately, the goal of the funding partners is to help coordinate rural-urban planning policies and move toward a cooperative planning approach across interdependent regions. "The findings of this research will develop a foundation for investigating new forms of rural-urban interaction and help us understand the impact of increasing interdependencies on the environmental, social, economic and cultural dimensions of Canadian communities," says CRRF president Rob Greenwood. Infrastructure Canada works with partners to identify regional and local development priorities and finance infrastructure projects that support national objectives. As part of this, the department is committed to building, connecting and sharing research (http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/research-recherche/index_e.shtm). CRERL - Canada Rural Economy Research Lab (www.crerl.usask.ca) examines all issues that affect the vitality of Rural Canada from a diversified economy, healthcare, environment, amenities, transportation, to a productive and sustainable agricultural sector. CRRF (www.crrf.ca) aims to revitalize rural Canada through education and research for rural leaders in the community, the private sector and in government. FCM (www.fcm.ca) is dedicated to improving the quality of life in all communities by promoting strong, effective and accountable municipal government. Along with its policy interests, FCM remains a professional association serving elected municipal officials. SSHRC (www.sshrc.ca) promotes and supports university-based research and training in the social sciences and humanities. |