Born on the wrong side of the tracks

What is rural? What is Urban?

These questions have plagued this semester for me, not only in this class on rural geography but also in my contemporary geographic thought class where Sofia and my seminar topic was changing rural geographies. Also my Applied Geomatics project has been on the subject of siting urban agriculture in Hamilton, as I will discuss later this has brought up the same questions regarding the rural-urban binary.

In class last Thursday, idea that the physical distinction between urban and rural as determined by municipal boundaries can have very real effects on landscapes and society. Someone brought up the problem of differing infrastructure qualities between these two regions. Another person brought up how this can have effects on which schools people attend and even the perspective that society has on members who live across imaginary lines.

I found it fascinating that although these lines seem so arbitrary and the distinction between urban and rural so hard to define, they have very real effects on the lay of the land and the people who live on one side or another of those lines.

So how does this relate to my Geomatics project of siting an urban Farm in Hamilton?

Well first let me give you some back ground on my project.  Me and my partner Amilah Rasool developed a GIS based model to determine the best sites for urban agriculture in Hamilton. The model incorporated a variety of criteria (slope, aspect, soil type, hydrological sensitivity and income)  to create a suitability analysis for urban farming. Then vacant properties in urban Hamilton (as defined by the municipality) were ranked then to determine which were the most suitable. The following maps show the two properties (A&B) which were chosen as the ideal locations for urban agriculture.

Property A

Property B

The inset map shows the location of these properties within the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area (CMA). Anything outside the yellow urban area is considered rural but still apart of the Hamilton CMA. Both Property A and Property B are very close to the boundary which divides rural and urban. This binary distinction between rural and urban has created a limitation within my GIS model. Areas just outside of the urban area that still could have serviced urban residents are excluded from the analysis. Moreover areas that are distinctly rural but have been classified as urban for development purposes are being considered for urban agriculture. This is the case for Property A, which technically falls within the urban enclave of Waterdown but by most classifications would be rural. There are no nearby bus stops, most of the land is open fields and it is surrounded by agriculture. If this property became a farm it would be hard to classify it as an urban farm since it is not really in an urban area.

This certainly points to some of the flaws of my GIS project, which probably should have included population and public transportation as criteria, but it also brings up how the arbitrary rural urban divides have real world effects.

Anna Mae’s is closing

Due to unforeseen financial and personal issues facing the owners, Anna Mae’s bakery and restaurant of Millbank will be closing within the coming months. This is your last chance to get your hands on some delicious home made pies, pastries and broasted chicken. What will this mean for the small rural community in Perth county where Anna Mae’s has run as a formal business since 1991. Local residents are concerned about the impact this will have on their community. One local resident was quoted saying “what will all the employees do? There aren’t any other employment opportunities here in town. What about the kids, where will they work part time during the summer?” this resident who was clearly distraught raises some valid concerns which are resting heavy on the shoulders of the small, largely Mennonite community. Another resident says “Anna Mae’s is the heart of our community, me and my wife eat our supper here every night. If they leave where will I see my neighbors and the rest of my community?” Millbank has two things that bring in outside capital to the towns economy; a cheese factory and Anna Mae’s. And while the community is not likely to fall apart at the seams as the local discourse may have you believe, this is sure to take a blow to the small town. The cheese factory which sells its product far and wide will continue to be an important employer in Millbank. And the few small shops in town like the grocery store and the hardware store will continue to service Millbank residents. The influx of tourists in the summer who flock to the small community will have to go elsewhere for their homemade pies and baked goods. The closing of Anna Mae’s is sure to have an notable impact on the landscape of Millbank but as of yet no one is sure what exactly that will be.

 

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, Anna Mae’s isn’t closing, I wrote this fictional news piece in order to convey the importance it seems that Anna Mae’s has to the community of Millbank. Anna Mae’s really stood out to me during the field trip and I have been reflecting on how many small communities have a place that plays the same role for the town. A place where people can come together, a face for the community and a large source of employment. Anna Mae’s plays some very important roles in the town. In terms of its economic role it is a local source of employment and sells locally crafted goods such as jams, and cheese from the factory as well as crafts and other products. Additionally, is provides a social service as it is a local meeting ground for the community.

 

In contrast, St. Jacobs didn’t seem to have anything as central to the community and economy like Millbank has Anna Mae’s. Most of the businesses that I interacted with were being staffed by people from the Kitchener waterloo area. And the town itself had a much more suburban feel than the distinctly rural setting of Millbank. The economy of St. Jacobs seemed to be flourishing at the cost of authenticity and culture.

Squamish from production to consumption

Squamish British Columbia was a place that I traveled through very often as a kid, my family would drive through on our way to Whistler when we went skiing on the weekends. But Squamish has been rapidly changing over the past decades, the economy has changed, real estate prices have soared and the culture of the town in general has changed significantly. These changes can be understood as the results of both amenity migration and creative destruction as the town transformed into a leisure-scape.

Brief History and Geography

Squamish is located at the north end of Howe sound, north of Vancouver and south of

Whistler along the See to sky corridor. Squamish is blessed with abundant forest resources as well as stunning natural beauty. The town is surrounded by high peaks including the notable Squamish chief that meet the valley and ocean below. Squamish was formed as a town to support the southern terminus of the Pacific Great Eastern railway and functioned as a port, which it still does. Untill recently Squamish had a traditional rural productivist economy, based largely in forestry and associated industries. International forest products was the largest employer until the building of Western forest products pulp mill which permanently closed in 2006.

 

Creative Destruction

The economy and landscape of Squamish is no longer dominated by forestry, now many people know it as the “recreation capital of Canada”, the towns new slogan. The economy has shifted towards outdoor recreation, it is now being consumed rather than producing. Forestry and the port are still a small part of the economy in Squamish but rock climbing, hiking, backcountry skiing and other forms of adventure tourism dominate. These new recreation based industries require that the natural beauty of Squamish and its forests to be preserved and maintained which has clashed with the previous economic regime which saw forests as a natural resource to be extracted rather than preserved for profit. Although much of the recreation that takes place is quite far from leisurely (I wouldnt call ‘Trad climbing’ the chief relaxing) the new economic landscape in Squamish can be understood as a leisure-scape. A leisure-scape is a multi-functional landscape and a product of creative destruction, one where capital driven innovation is pushing out the old production based economy.

 

Amenity Migration

In 2007 the median price for a single family home was $446,000, today ten years later that figure is $939,000. There have been a number of factors that have influenced this most notably the Vancouver real estate market. As housing prices in Vancouver have soared families and individuals are more and more willing to make the 45 minute commute from Squamish to Vancouver in order to afford a single-detached home. Moreover, Squamish has natural and cultural amenities which influence in-migration of urbanites. Amenity migration is largely driven by a desire to be close to natural and recreational amenities and as Squamish markets these aspects of the town, more and more amenity migrants flock in. Squamish is no longer a blue collar town, it is quickly becoming a commuter town for upper middle class exurbanites who work in Vancouver.

 

The smells of the pulp mill no longer fill the valley and the sights of neon outerwear fresh out of MEC abound. F-150’s are replaced by Volvos and Teslas. Squamptonians work as rock climbing guides or at one of the new craft breweries instead of at the lumber yard. As the economy and demographics of Squamish changes so does the landscape and the culture.

References

Housing in Squamish. (n.d.). Retrieved March 29, 2017, from http://squamish.ca/assets/Economic-Development/Housing-in-Squamish.pdf

Mitchell, C. J. (2013). Creative destruction or creative enhancement? Understanding the transformation of rural spaces. Journal of Rural Studies, 32, 375-387.

Real Estate Market Report for Squamish, BC. (n.d.). Retrieved March 29, 2017, from http://www.canadianrealestatemagazine.ca/top-neighbourhoods/squamish-bc-26850.aspx

 

Rail the transportation of the past and the Future?

Just outside of Rockwood on Guelph Line there is a Museum called the Halton Country Radial Railway Museum. This historic site is open during the summer for visitors to come learn about the history of electric railways in Ontario. The museum includes a restored section of the original Radial Railway which once ran from Toronto through a number of small towns to Guelph. If you go visit the museum you can ride one of the original trains over a short section of the restored track. If you want to learn more about the history of the Guelph Radial Railway follow this link. Now the museum is a tourist attraction which prides itself on being a scenic place perfect for taking engagement photos or hosting corporate retreats.

But the Railway was once an important means of connecting smaller rural communities to the industries and communities in larger urban hubs like guelph and Toronto. The passenger railway was originally constructed in the late 1800’s but was decommissioned by the early 1930’s when automobile use began to cut into electric railway business. During these years at the turn of the 20th century railways were crucial to connecting communities and were the crux of the economy in railway hubs like guelph. While rail continued as a means of transporting goods the automobile replaced its use in ontario for transporting people.

But now almost 100 years later rail as a means of transportation is gaining popularity again. As the cost of living in Toronto rises to unaffordable heights many people are moving outward beyond the city into the surrounding suburbs. Simultaneously the main arteries into the city are becoming more and more congested with commute times becoming longer and longer. Yesterday it took me a little over two hours to get from downtown Toronto to Guelph. And still many people are moving even further into smaller communities further away from the GTA, such as Acton, Stouffville, Lincolnville, King city, Newmarket, Georgetown.

The draw to these communities is the ability to commute by train.

These small communities that used to be outside of the direct reach of the GTA are now home to individuals who make the daily commute in to Toronto. For these commuters the benefits of buying in a small community are many. But it is the train that allows them to make the decision to live their while maintaining their job in the city.

Trains like any means of public transportation are far more environmentally friendly than private automobile usage. And they surely bring economic benefits of rising property values as well as increased capital expenditure in the local economy. But still train usage is limited to the few trains that run each day. More individuals need to use these trains for them to have the intended benefits.

Trains are far more popular of a means of transportation in places like Europe and Japan, but will the individualistic culture of North America and the idealized dream of car ownership ever make room for the rail?

The Political Urban vs. Rural Rift

The urban-rural difference in political ideology is seen as one of the most distinct cleavages in Canadian politics. Across the country in both provincial and federal elections, right leaning conservative parties do better in rural areas and left leaning liberal and democratic parties do better in urban areas. Suburban areas tend to fall somewhere in the middle but according to the article “Rural, Suburban and Urban Voters: Dissecting Residence Based Voter Cleavages in Provincial Elections” by Roy, Perrella and Borden (2015) suburban areas tend to align more to the right.

This geographic phenomenon has been attributed to rural culture being more traditional and favouring free market economics, which translates politically to socially conservative and small government policies.

Amanda Bittner found that difference of opinion was strongly related to ideology and not available information. She found that as the level of information on a given social issue rose so did the division between rural and urban opinion on the subject. For example, as individuals from both rural and urban areas were given more of the same information regarding the debate surrounding the issues of accessibility to abortions, the division between support and opposition continued to rise. With more information, urbanites tended to increasingly support access to abortion and rural-ites tended towards opposition. This trend of information increasing division, was found found across a variety of topics including support for gay marriage, and points to differences in values and ideology between urban and rural populations.

To be honest this scares me, I do not like to think about deep divisions between rural and urban populations, and while unity may seem impossible it would clearly be superior. I am certainly biased, I have very socially liberal values, I support socialist policies, gay marriage and access to abortion and when it comes to these issues I am not relativist, I see alternatives points of view as morally wrong. I have always believed that education and disseminating factual information was the way to change peoples minds about these issues. But if further information creates a deeper rift, what are we to do?

Do you see this rift as problematic? Is it inherent?

Bittner, A. (2007). The Effects of Information and Social Cleavages: Explaining Issue Attitudes and Vote Choice in Canada. Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique,40(04).

Roy, J., Perrella, A. M., & Borden, J. (2015). Rural, Suburban and Urban Voters: Dissecting Residence Based Voter Cleavages in Provincial Elections. Canadian Political Science Review ,9(1), 112-127.

Lions, Tigers, and Bears OH MY!

-Sociology, Geography, Economics and Agronomy OH MY.

One thing that stood out to me today at the rural symposium was how interdisciplinary/ multidisciplinary the field is. There was not a single presentation or research topic at the symposium that didn’t cross the barriers of disciplines. Not only was each project varied in the approaches and  lenses that it used to address specific problems but the researchers themselves came from various educational backgrounds and fields of study. I suppose that that is because of the nature of rural studies, it is not specific to any one area of knowledge but rather particular to a specific geography. Rural studies, seems to welcome various ways of assessing and deconstructing the problems it as a discipline in itself seeks to address. This interdisciplinary approach appears to be benefiting individual research projects, the field of rural studies as a whole and the subject of concern: rural communities.

Examples of how the interdisciplinary approach is benefiting individual research projects can be seen in many of those presented at the symposium.  One in particular stood out to me, the research on broadband development in rural areas. The PHD student looked not only at economic development but also looked at sociological barriers and benefits as well as the implications for agriculture. The agricultural implications of high speed internet is something I would not have considered however it is a mainstay of rural studies and development and as such found its way into this research.

For the field of rural studies as a whole, the greatest benefit of interdisciplinary approaches to research is that it does not get the tunnel vision that hinders many areas of knowledge. It appears that everyone at the symposium had an understanding of various social, cultural, environmental, political, economic etc. issues that were important to rural communities. Individuals are unable to ignore the multifaceted-ness of any one issue due to the various backgrounds and lenses that their colleagues bring to the conversation.

My hopes are that, what I have discussed so far has direct benefits for rural communities, rural issues and individuals living in rural communities. I think that this is true in that, when issues that concern rural communities are discussed and examined in an institutional setting like the university, those issues are considered from diverse angles. I can only imagine that this variety of inputs results in more holistic solutions to rural problems.

Rural Life in the Canada’s biggest city?

This Toronto Star Article Two centuries and counting for Toronto’s last farming family got me thinking. In our seminars, the topic of what is rural has come up a few times. It has always been left open ended. We have talked about physical identifiers, such as agriculture, open spaces, low population density and so on. But the Star article left me with some thoughts, this family is living a life that we would associate with rural, far more than urban life. They are farmers and they’re out chopping firewood to heat their home all winter, but they live within Toronto city limits. So maybe they are a tiny rural bubble inside an urban sea? But I’m sure their kids go to city schools and they have access to all the cultural amenities of the city. I am starting to think that maybe its entirely irrelevant and unnecessary to distinguish between rural and urban. I’m curious what you think about this Toronto farmer?

I also want to leave you with a short anecdote about identifying as rural. My girlfriend lives outside Erin on a dirt road next to a sheep farm in a what I consider the countryside (definitely rural in my books). When I told her about this blog I mentioned that I would have much more to talk about since I am visiting rural areas far more often than ever before. Her reply was “oh because we went up to my cottage?”, she didn’t recognize or identify with being from a rural area. She understood rural as being out in the bush far from civilization and didn’t relate having a horse farm and living on a dirt road to rural life. So, I guess rural is perhaps something that has to be understood in relative terms.

Out for a Ride

Yesterday my girlfriend took me on my first trail ride. Her family has a barn with almost 20 horses. She has ben giving me lessons with Ashton (one of the horses) so that I would be able to come out for a trail ride with her. There is a trail that goes through the back end of their property and into different back fields. What is curious to me is that no one seems to ever walk on this trail, it is exclusively used for riding and different motorsports. The trail is definitely not to long for someone to walk through, but it is just not part of the culture, you take a quad or a motorbike in the summer and fall and once there is enough snow out comes the sled.  I could not contain my excitement being out there with Ashton, walking through the woods and cantering out in the fields. It was an amazing experience but I remained curious, why had we never gone for a walk on the trail. At my home in Vancouver there are many trails in the nearby park and everyone goes out for a walk once and a while, be it to walk the dog or just to get some privacy and fresh air. But in the country the dogs don’t need to be walked, they get let out the back door and the privacy and fresh air means getting on a horse or some motor vehicle and going “out for a rip”. I undoubtably see the appeal, beyond being just plain fun being out for a ride or a rip is liberating,  moving at that faster speed is meditative, your focus is entirely in the present. While I am a tinge jealous that motorsports and horses weren’t a part of my childhood I also see the flip side, the landscape is always racing by you, never giving you a chance to truly explore, break off from the trail, notice the details, an interesting fungus or a colourful lichen. And theres no reason that you cant have both experiences, Im sure many lucky people do. Either way I cant wait to be out  on the trail again.

Me and Ashton

Intro & Ice day

I am fairly sure that most of my posts will feature some form of comparison between Rural and Urban life, it is hard for me as someone who has grown up and spent most of their life in a City (Vancouver BC) to see rural issues in their own light. While perhaps it is a flaw, this comparative stance, seeing rural issues through the eyes of an urbanite, a tourist in the countryside, will hopefully create a contrast that will help me and others from the city better understand contemporary rural life.

My first comparison comes from a day a couple weeks ago when some friends of mine who live on 4th and 5th line in the Halton-Erin area both couldn’t get to work one day. For me it was a regular, although icy Tuesday, I went to school and went to the climbing gym in the afternoon. However my two friends had a completely different experience, they couldn’t make it down their dirt roads to get to work, let alone make it up their long driveways. There were specific conditions that had made this happen, a relatively warm and rainy Monday with freezing temperatures overnight had caused all the dirt roads to be covered in a slick one inch layer of ice. In Guelph the water had drained into storm-drains and ditches before it had a chance to freeze. Fourth and Fifth lines are only about a half hour away but my friends who lived there had a completely different day, the way I see it they are so much more beholden to nature, power outages take longer to resolve, not being able to drive because there is too much snow or ice means you’re stuck at home. To them it was a major inconvenience, a days pay unaccounted for. But as an outsider I wish for that unpredictability, those days at home with your family or living partners with no plans because you hadn’t been expecting to all be stuck there, a chance to relax and take it easy during a normally busy time.

Sloquet River