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- Title
Can a preservationist ideology halt the process of creative destruction? Evidence from Salt Spring Island, British Columbia.
- Authors
Halpern, Claire; Mitchell, Clare J. A.
- Abstract
For more than 50 years, rural municipalities across the developed world have struggled to redefine themselves in the face of declining primary sector employment. In some places, this struggle has led to the creation of landscapes that provide heritage-seekers with tangible commodities and intangible experiences reflecting a by-gone past. Recent research suggests that these post-productivist heritage-scapes may evolve into leisure-scapes of mass consumption, if profit or economic growth are the key motives underlying development ( ). This article questions whether a dominant ideology of preservation can prevent this scenario. We studied Salt Spring Island, British Columbia: (i) to determine if the island displays the characteristics of a heritage-scape, (ii) to discover if a preservationist ideology has contributed to its current state, and (iii) to ponder if this state can be maintained, in light of recent regional and provincial discourse. Our analysis reveals that the creation, and maintenance, of this heritage-scape has been guided largely by public discourse underlain by a preservationist ideology. This prolonged state, however, may be drawing to an end. Recent provincial directives to double tourist revenues suggest that local (and regional) discourse soon may be overshadowed by the province's mandate to promote economic growth. The response of local stakeholders will ultimately dictate the Island's ability to maintain its present state as a post-productivist heritage-scape.
- Subjects
SALTSPRING Island (B.C.); BRITISH Columbia; CREATIVE destruction; ECONOMIC development; ENVIRONMENTAL protection; TOURISM
- Publication
Canadian Geographer, 2011, Vol 55, Issue 2, p208
- ISSN
0008-3658
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1541-0064.2010.00333.x