Douglas, David

Gibson, Ryan

Markey, Sean

Reimer, Bill

Vodden, Kelly

English

Memorial University Research Repository

Examining New Regionalism in CanadaHighlights from a Current Research InitiativeRyan Gibson1, Kelly Vodden1, David Douglas2, Sean Markey3, Bill Reimer4, and Research Team1Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2University of Guelph, 3Simon Fraser University, 4Concordia UniversityIntroductionNew Regionalism has emerged as a prominent approach for addressing the complexity of territorial development and mitigating the negative impacts associated with both political and industrial restructuring. This research initiative addresses five themes of New Regionalism in the Canadian context: governance, integrated development, place-based development, rural-urban interactions, and knowledge, learning, and innovation. An empirical assessment of Canadian regional development  is being employed, using a multi-level network, mixed methods case study approach in four provinces: British Columbia, Newfoundland, Ontario, and Québec. The three goals of this research are: (i) to undertake a critical assessment of the application and relevance of New Regionalism in the Canadian context; (ii) to seek Canadian innovations in regional development; and (iii) to understand how these innovations are evolving and if and how they are being shared across space in networks of regional development practice. Framework of New RegionalismThis research contributes to and draw from a growing body of literature in several disciplines that recognizes development as taking place within a complex, changing world where many actors are dynamically interacting at multiple scales. Five core themes of New Regionalism make up our research framework. These five themes are described briefly below. With these interrelated themes the framework is consistent with a systems view that development and the study of development is necessarily interdisciplinary and multifaceted. Case Study RegionsCase studies were selected based on criteria of national scope and regional characteristics, ability to provide insight into the five themes, and feasibility. A range of data sources are being utilized, suhc as literature reviews, key informant interviews, participant observation at the sub-regional level.Eastern OntarioThe boundary of Eastern Ontario as designated by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is the region spanning from Durham Region to the Ottawa area. The region is composed of a population of over 1.72 million people, with 14 united counties and 110 townships, municipalities and cities. Kittiwake/Gander-New-Wes-Valley, NewfoundlandLocated in the north eastern coast of insular Newfoundland, this region is delineated by the Regional Economic Development Zone (Kittiwake) and the provincial Rural Secretariat region (Gander – New-Wes -Valley). The region is composed of 119 communities and the total population is 48,850.Kootenays Region, British ColumbiaThe region is an aggregation of three of British Columbia’s Regional Districts: East Kootenay, Central Kootenay, and Kootenay Boundary. The region consists of 23 Electoral Areas and 25 incorporated municipalities. As a result of physical geography of four mountain ranges the region is isolated, with an area of 57,786.8 km2 and a population of 142,110.MRC Rimouski-Neigette, QuébecThe region is located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River in the heart of the administrative region of Lower St. Lawrence. The regional municipality of Rimouski-Neigette consists of nine municipalities and unorganized territory and represents 54,374 inhabitants.Northern Peninsula, NewfoundlandThe region encompasses approximately 17,483 km2, consisting of barren hills, flat marshy plains, rock outcrops, fjords, and mountains. The Northern Peninsula consists of 51 communities with a population was 13,140, a decline of 12.6% from 2001.  * All population figures are based on the 2006 census.Upcoming Project ActivitiesExamining these five themes of New Regionalism, their interconnections and relevance in a national context offers the potential for significant advancement in the theory and practice of regional development in Canada and internationally. The research team has begun a content analysis on the five themes of a large scale field-derived data base (over 200 in-person interviews). The content analysis of the themes focuses on policy, programmes, projects, and practice. Over the course of the next year, conference presentations, papers, website reportings, and an edited volume are planned. Project outputs are available at http://cdnregdev.wordpress.com. AcknowledgementsThe research team would like to acknowledge the residents of our case study regions and government officials from their respective provinces for their contributions. This research would not have been possible without financial support from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Leslie Harris Centre for Regional Policy and Development.http://cdnregdev.wordpress.com What is New Regionalism?          How is it reflected in Canadian regional policies?            What difference does it make for local communities? Research Team  Kelly Vodden     David Douglas    Sean Markey    Bill Reimer     Luc Bisson        Sarah Breen     Matthew Brett    Ken Carter     Jennifer Daniels    Ryan Gibson    Craig Mackie   Sarah MinnesPrincipal Investigator   Co-investigator    Co-investigator    Co-investigator    Research Assistant      PhD Candidate    MA Candidate    PhD Candidate    MA Candidate    PhD Candidate   MA Candidate   MA CandidateMemorial Unviersity   University of Guelph   Simon Fraser University  Concordia University   Université du Québec à Rimouski    Simon Fraser University   Concordia University   Memorial University   Memorial University   Memorial University  Concordia University  University of GuelphGovernance -  Multi-level governance is a process built on the foundations of collaboration and multiple partnerships among community/region-based organizations, statutory/government agencies, and the private sector, facilitating empowerment within regions through sharing of power and collective decision-making.Place-Based Development - is a holistic approach to development that seeks to reveal, utilize and enhance the natural, physical, economic, cultural and human capacity assets present within a particular location. New Regionalism incorporates place-based themes in seeking to facilitate territorial forms of planning and development. Place-based development prioritizes the importance of community/regional competitiveness for economic development, the role of quality of life in retaining and attracting both residents and capital, and building relationships of trust for planning and policy purposes.Integration - The concept of integrated refers to an approach to development policy and planning that seeks to address the complexity of phenomena, whether the phenomena relate to contextual conditions (e.g. regional economy, local government system), to normative designs (e.g. community recreation outcomes, environmental remediation targets), or to issues of process and practice (e.g. planning procedures, public communications). Integrated perspectives in development policies, programmes and planning incorporate such dimensions of reality as systems and sub-systems, linkages, networks, uncertainty, feedback, interconnected levels, and holism, and are associated with interdisciplinary approaches to analysis and prescription.Rural-Urban Interdependencies - Rural and urban places are interdependent - in spite of occasional claims of the opposite. Our research explores the nature of this interdependency - through exchanges of goods and services, institutional organization, shared environments, and identity. We pay particular attention to the extent that policy undermines or builds upon this interdependency.Knowledge, Innovation and Learning - New Regionalist research and practice suggests knowledge flows and learning are critical to learning regions. New ideas and adaptations are required for survival and resilience in a changing world, they suggest, and regions are increasingly the level at which innovation is produced. 

Examining New Regionalism in Canada: Highlights from a Current Research Initiative

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