The Rural Voice, 1987-08, Page 18by Rhea Hamilton -Seeger
"Rural Canada is in the midst of
changes so profound that it will never
be the same. The driving force is the
restructuring of resource commodities
world-wide. These changes are per-
manent, not cyclical; we can't just
wait them out. It would
have been more con-
venient had this not
happened, but now the
only question is how to
respond. While there
will continue to be
major disturbances, there are some
opportunities on the same coin.
Everyone says change is inevitable
and then goes on acting as before. 1t
is time to form new development
concepts for rural Canada ..."
Gary Davidson
Quoted in "Challenge '87,"
The Rural Voice, January issue
itions to make ends meet. Small lots
are bought up by urban people, and
industrial development begins to look
more attractive. The questions of land
severances and zoning have become
pivotal aspects of rural planning.
As a community develops and
changes, it is confronted with a variety
of problems. Careful consideration of
community assets and liabilities must
be the first item on the planning agen-
da. Solutions to problems, however,
can sometimes be
elusive, whether the
problem is caused by
international econ-
omics creating dislo-
cations at the local
level or by conflicts of
perspective within the neighbourhood.
Let's look at some examples.
In West Wawanosh Township,
Huron County, a landowner has
requested a change in zoning desig-
nation to allow the development of a
passive recreation area complete with
a lodge and a restaurant. Community
members have raised quite a few
objections, although the plan itself is
ideally suited to the area. The land is
too steep for cropping and encompas-
ses a large forested section which is
already used for hiking and cross-
country skiing. At an open meeting
concerning the change in designation,
tempers flared and voices were raised
over the apparently simple question
of the future of the land and how it
would affect the surrounding farms.
Changes have been made to the pro-
posal in an attempt the accommodate
the farms affected and to reduce any
detrimental impact, but no decision
has yet been reached.
Perspectives on planning may also
differ because of conflicts between the
community and `outsiders." The
trend today is toward more involve-
ment at the local level. In the past,
however, Ontario communities have
looked to the provincial and federal
governments to hand down guidelines,
money, and objectives — in short, to
do the planning for them.
But while planners are discover-
ing that solutions to problems are
being reached at the local level, with
As director of planning and
development for Huron
County, Gary Davidson's
response when asked to
comment on the challenges of the new
year identified a broad and pressing
concern: rural planning. It's a con-
cern that has been central since man
began living in communities and
making decisions designed to improve
the well-being and harmony of the
group. It's been a co-operative effort
which has shepherded communities in
Canada through the dramatic changes
of a century or more. And in recent
years, rural planning has forced
neighbours to consider difficult and
sometimes divisive questions about
the future of the rural landscape and
the vitality of rural communities.
In the past ten years, farms have
grown and amalgamated until the
threat of dead communities prompted
nation-wide awareness. Most recent-
ly, the pendulum has swung the other
way. When land prices are low, the
size of farms decreases as farmers
begin to sell off some of their acquis-
Planning a rural community, how-
ever, involves more than economic
development. The common denomin-
ator is a group of people with similar
interests pooling their thoughts, exper-
ience, and resources to come to terms
with a common goal, be it setting up
a volunteer day-care or organizing a
new branch of the Lion's Club. It
entails qualitative growth as well as
quantitative growth. Social groups
and services, environmental issues,
business interests, agricultural con-
cerns, and garbage disposal — all of
this and much more is woven into the
fabric of a rural plan.
But planning, as Gary Davidson
notes, is an idea that communities
have not always pursued as actively
and critically as they might. A com-
munity today, he says, must take a
fundamental look at itself. Too often,
he adds, we fall prey to cyclical think-
ing, believing that the good times of
the 1970s will return. "We don't look
for alternatives." The adage that if
you're lost, any road will do, is not the
route to take.
Too often we fall prey
to cyclical thinking,
believing that the good
times of the 1970s will
return. "We don't look
for alternatives."
16 THE RURAL VOICE