Rural communities throughout Ontario are struggling with addressing both economic development and infrastructure. During the 2020 Rural Ontario Municipal Association conference Dr. Ryan Gibson participated in a panel discussion exploring the realities communities are confronted and the strategies being pursued across Ontario. The panel included Delia Reiche from the Economic Developers Council of Ontario, Kate Burns Gallager from the Western Ontario Warden
What are the key drivers of the economy in southwestern Ontario? What are the some of the 'myths' related to our economy? Dr. Ryan Gibson shared perspectives at the recent Libro Credit Union meeting in London, Ontario on October 29 on the economic realities. The presentation highlighted six themes: (i) workforce transitions and business succession planning, (ii) Indigenous economic contributions, (iii) uncertain international trade relationships, (iv) infr
The Senate is a key institution in the Canadian parliamentary system. Composed of representatives from across the country, the Senate provide a complementary review of government bills before they become the law and undertakes investigations on important social and political issues. A key role of the Senate is for the representation of regional interests. During the Sustainable Communities Conference in St John's on October 5, Dr. Ryan Gibson moderated ...
The School of Environmental Design and Rural Development was well represented at the recent Sustainable Communities Conference, which brought together rural leaders, community-based organizations, government policy makers, businesses, students, and researchers. A total of 16 presentations and posters were delivered by students and faculty from the School! Details of each contribution are listed below:
Power in Policy: Measuring Farmland Los
Ashleigh Weeden (PhD Candidate, SEDRD - University of Guelph) shared insights from summer field research in northern Finland at the 2019 Canadian Community Economic Development Network's annual conference, EconoUs2019, in London Ontario today.
In a PechaKucha style presentation, Ashleigh explored opportunities for applying rural community economic development strategies from Rovaniemi at home in Canada, and encouraged participants to take their thoughts o...
Rural places are often presented as “left behind”, especially when it comes to technology. But is that really the case?
The Intersection of Things podcast interviewed Ashleigh Weeden (PhD Candidate, School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, University of Guelph) in a feature episode about the intersections of the rural and the digital. The interview covers questions about rural data, and what it might mean for national security, different inno...
How do rural communities creative livable communities for the 21st century? This was a key topic of discussion for rural geographers. The Ninth Quadrennial Conference of British, Canadian, and American Rural Geographers was hosted by Middlebury College and the University of Vermont in Burlington, USA. Rural geographers from Australia, Wales, Northern Ireland, England, Canada, Scotland, England, and the United States shared research, discussed pressing rura...
Canadian regional development today involves multiple actors operating within nested scales from local to national and even international levels. Recent approaches to making sense of this complexity have drawn on concepts such as multi-level governance, relational assets, integration, innovation, and learning regions. These new regionalist concepts have become increasingly global in their formation and application, yet there has been little critical analys...
Philanthropy in rural communities is a powerful tool for revitalization and sustainability. On June 6, 2019, Ryan Gibson shared preliminary research findings at the All In 2019 Conference, hosted by Community Foundations of Canada.
The presentation was part of a larger discussion on rural philanthropy that explored trends, the importance of place and creative opportunities happening in rural communities. Participants worked collectively to spark new think...
Stephanie Patzer, recent Rural Planning and Development graduate, shared her research on housing in Honduras at the “Inclusive Development? Expanding Circles of Development Research and Practice” Conference that took place from June 5-7, 2019 in Vancouver. Stephanie's presentation, titled "Lessons from Participatory Community Development in Informal Settlements in Honduras", explored housing development in two Honduran communities in partnership with Techo
