Planning for resilience: A case study of Kitimat, BC.

Kitimat, British Columbia was the first comprehensively planned town in the province. Built in 1954 to house the workers of Alcan, it was planned to be a town with strong social cohesion, a high quality of life, and resilient to change over time. The physical plan intended to encourage interaction while the social plan was meant to solidify those bonds, thereby developing social cohesion and community capacity supports for the town to potentially remain resilient. A triangulated research approach combines an historical analysis of Statistics Canada data, mapping techniques, as well as focus group and key informant interviews. Information obtained through the focus group and interviews is reviewed to understand the affects of the physical plan on the people and the community, and the data are further explored to determine what, if any, other factors influenced the development of social cohesion and resilience in Kitimat. With a better understanding of what encourages and prohibits interaction and the development of a sense of community, policies and plans can be developed to allow for the development of structures that encourage interaction and minimize those that inhibit it. The findings suggest that the physical organization of Kitimat encourages interaction and serves to support the development of social cohesion. Social cohesion is further developed through relationships based on factors such as ethnicity, job-type, length of residence, and interests. --P. ii.