In writing a paper for the University of Waterloo, I've been thinking a lot about the idea of developing Sundre into one of Alberta's top destinations for culture, recreation, events and conferences.
This conceptual idea was presented as "Vision 2030" last year, and relies on the improvement of Sundre's physical environment so that it adds to the quality of life of the community. The idea is that this would not only help draw new visitors to diversify the economy into tourism, but also act as an attractant for entrepreneurs as well as new residents, and therefore a bigger labour force to draw from.
I have other thoughts from that paper I'm writing too, which I've drawn from to write this column. What is the meaning of the concept of quality of life? How does quality of place affect economic development? And for that matter, what is economic development? Further, how can these concepts be used to attract increased inward flows of capital, turn an area into a destination for tourism and new labour, and ultimately help contribute to diversifying an economy?
Quality of living, as a concept, has no exact definition. According to Forbes Magazine, quality of life "is subjective and multidimensional, encompassing positive and negative features of life." Generally, it refers to the well-being of a society and its individuals. Economic indicators such as income and gross domestic product are often associated to be quality of living indices, though these are usually aligned with the concept of a "standard of living." Whereas, "quality of living" has more to do with the health, happiness and available opportunities afforded to local populations (both abled and disabled) via cultural, religious, recreational, health care and educational assets. Consequently, quality of living is an expression used to examine the subjective satisfaction of people of a given geographic area.
As with "quality of living," defining "quality of place" can be difficult. There is no universal agreement on what exactly "quality of place" means, either. An industry publication from 2011 by Andreas Wesener quoted the U.K. government's definition of quality of place as "the physical characteristics of a community ó the way it is planned, designed, developed and maintained ó that affect the quality of life of people living and working in it, and those visiting it, both now and into the future."
In essence, quality of place can be interpreted as the subjective satisfaction of a local population with its physical and built environment ó public buildings, architecture, parks, etc. ó and how that built environment affects the quality of their lives. In Europe, the importance of place building has been recognized through the 2007 Leipzig Charter on Sustainable European Cities. Although non-binding, among other recommendations the Charter encourages the creation of "high-quality public spaces."
From the Leipzig Charter, Baukultur is a German concept roughly translated into "building culture," and according to the charter, encourages the adoption of the concept in all areas of the urban existence, including public buildings, and involves the protection of architectural landmarks ó historical buildings of significant public value. Although the prevalence of non-indigenous historical landmarks in Alberta ó and in North America in general ó only date back a few centuries at best, the principles of Baukultur can nonetheless be incorporated into any municipal economic development strategy relying on culture and recreation-oriented place building.
Once my research into the paper is done, my hope is that it will help inform future strategic plans for Sundre, and include the concept of Baukultur. But one thing is certain: Sundre must never cease furthering development of its quality of living, in order to remain an attractive place for new investment. Focusing on the community's built environment, ensuring ample recreational opportunities exist, encouraging culture-based businesses and social gathering spots, and meeting the requirements of today's modern citizen (via technological improvements like fibre optic development) will help this end.
It's through these efforts that we can ensure residents of the Sundre area become even more proud of where they live. Their pride of community will hopefully also translate into pride of ownership, and be showcased via the beautification of building exteriors and the unconscious recruitment of new residents and businesses.
Quality of living is the most important factor relevant to economic development; through our words, actions and physical spaces, we all have the ability to contribute to it.
Jonathan Allan is the economic development officer for the Town of Sundre.
