DWELLING, TOURISM AND SUSTAINABILITY ON THE RURAL- URBAN FRINGE: A BOWEN ISLAND CASE STUDY by Donna Nona Pettipas BFA, University of Victoria, 1981 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF Master of Arts in The Faculty of Graduate Studies (Resource Management and Environmental Studies) The University of British Columbia (Vancouver) January, 2010 © Donna Nona Pettipas, 2010 ABSTRACT The thesis examines the question of why people live in rural communities, what draws them to these communities and the significance of social sustainability. The focus is on the view of individual perspectives that could be obtained through the process of completed questionnaires and interviews. Results of the combined questionnaire and interviews were referenced to earlier studies and to government statistics. The community of Bowen Island served as the case study, a rural community with a historical and evolving relationship to Metro Vancouver, British Columbia. The research activity was designed to be one of information and knowledge gathering, rather than an issue-oriented approach. The approach taken is one of discovering patterns of shared values and the adaptive practices of islanders in their homes and community environs. Transcribed interview responses were grouped by enquiry type to facilitate comparison between participants across BI neighbourhoods, resulting in qualitatively rich personal narratives about home, habitat and community engagement. The community is physically engaged in a beautiful mountainous and marine environment, which is also a tourist destination. Fun is a quality of BI‘s community celebrations along with spirituality and a connection to nature, the backdrop to a privileged life-style; some with ‗plenty of dough‘ most somewhere in-between ranging to bohemian artists, sharing in the community dynamic. The major attraction and commitment to stay on BI was the desire to achieve and retain a connection to nature. Diverse opinions expressed by the respondents were accepted and respected by the group, the open discussions and commitment to the Island has resulted in a shared value system while respecting diversity. The major concern of the Islanders is the feeling of uncertainty resulting from issues of governance. Shifts in ethical norms and lifestyle patterns warrant examination: the dynamics that constitute a cohesive community can be seen in the lived experiences and individual intentions of people on an island such as Bowen where the cultural collective aspires to live very close to nature at the wild land and rural-urban fringe. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................ iii LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................... v LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................... vi LIST OF CHARTS ...................................................................................... vii GLOSSARY .............................................................................................. viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................... x DEDICATION ........................................................................................... xii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ................................................................. 1 1.1 Dwelling & Tourism ............................................................................ 1 1.2 Sustainability ..................................................................................... 4 1.3 Bowen Island as Case Study Location .................................................... 5 1.4 Social Sustainability............................................................................ 8 1.5 Case Study Methodology ..................................................................... 9 1.5.1 Interdisciplinary approach ............................................................. 10 1.5.2 Origin of the survey and interview questions ................................... 11 1.6 Survey Data Collection ...................................................................... 14 1.7 Interview Data Collection .................................................................. 15 CHAPTER TWO: RESULTS OF SURVEY ...................................................... 16 2.1 Bowen Island Population Demographics ............................................... 16 2.2 Best Reasons for Living on Bowen Island ............................................. 17 2.2.1 Summary of best reasons for living on Bowen Island ........................ 18 2.3 Environmentally Conscious and Taking Steps ....................................... 24 2.4 Employment .................................................................................... 25 2.4.1 Employment type: occupations and professions ............................... 25 2.4.2 Employment type versus commute to work ..................................... 27 2.4.3 Self-employment and home-based businesses ................................. 30 2.5 Home Type Characteristics and Design Participation .............................. 36 2.6 Is Tourism Positive, Negative or Otherwise for Bowen Island? ................. 40 CHAPTER THREE: INTERVIEW RESULTS ................................................... 42 3.1 Introduction .................................................................................... 42 3.1.1 What attracted you to Bowen Island? ............................................. 42 3.1.2 Would you say that you are happy living here on Bowen Island? ........ 43 3.2 Dwellings ........................................................................................ 43 3.2.1 What do you like most about your home? ........................................ 43 3.2.2 Home: orientation, layout and flexibility, centre and utility ................ 44 3.2.2.1 Orientation ......................................................................... 44 3.2.2.2 Layout and flexibility ............................................................ 45 3.2.2.3 Centre ............................................................................... 45 3.2.2.4 Utility ................................................................................ 45 3.2.3 Can you describe how your home design came about? ...................... 46 3.2.4 Composting, recycling and garbage disposal arrangements ................ 48 iii 3.2.5 Heating, ventilation and air conditioning ......................................... 49 3.3 Rural Forest/Wilderness Interfaces ..................................................... 50 3.3.1 How would you describe your relationship to the forest? .................... 50 3.3.2 Do you have conflicts with wildlife? ................................................ 52 3.3.3 Farming food, fishing and foraging ................................................. 54 3.4 Municipal Government ...................................................................... 56 3.5 Orientation: Home and Reach ............................................................ 70 3.5.1 Migration and mobility .................................................................. 70 3.5.2 Local mobility .............................................................................. 70 CHAPTER FOUR: SUMMARY ...................................................................... 72 4.1 Governance ................................................................................... 72 REFERENCES ............................................................................................ 86 APPENDIX A: PRELIMINARY SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE ........................... 95 APPENDIX B: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS .................................................... 97 APPENDIX C: SELECTED RESPONSES TO INTERVIEW QUESTIONS, TRANSCRIBED FROM AUDIO TAPE .................................................. 99 APPENDIX D: CONSENT FORM ............................................................... 150 APPENDIX E: BOWEN ISLAND COMMUNITY PROFILE, 2006 CENSUS ..... 151 APPENDIX F: THE EBERLE REPORT ........................................................ 157 APPENDIX G: CAT AND DEER PHOTOGRAPH .......................................... 158 APPENDIX H: UBC RESEARCH ETHICS BOARD CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL .................................................................................... 159 iv LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Total of People: Personal Preferences ............................................. 19 Table 2 Percentages: Personal Preferences ................................................ 19 Table 3 Total of People: Environmentally Conscious (Q.23) and Taking Steps (Q.27) ..................................................................................... 24 Table 4 Percentages: Environmentally Conscience (Q.23) and Taking Steps (Q.27) ..................................................................................... 24 Table 5 Employment Type ....................................................................... 25 Table 6 Occupations (19 variables Q.16): Total Number of People and Percentages .............................................................................. 26 Table 7 Total of People: Employment Type versus Commute to Work (Q.5 vs. Q.25) ....................................................................................... 27 Table