Managing growth in mountain tourism communities

Abstract

Growth management is an approach to planning which seeks to capture the benefits of growth while mitigating the consequences. In this paper, the application of growth management techniques to mountain tourism communities is examined. Many mountain environments have experienced escalating demand from tourists in recent decades which has threatened not only the environmental quality of such places but also the social fabric of communities. An examination of two mountain resort communities, Aspen, CO, USA and Whistler, Canada, both of which have employed growth management practices, serves to highlight techniques used in such settings to address problems associated with rapid growth. The paper concludes by identifying information that mountain resort communities must acquire if they are to be successful in applying growth management strategies.