Mobilizing through local agency to support place-based economic transition: A case study of Tumbler Ridge, BC

Abstract

Small and remote resource towns face a variety of challenges, including boom and bust cycles, deindustrialization, as well as ineffective top-down development policies, which have undermined economic viability and community cohesiveness. In response, many communities have turned to locally-driven and bottom-up approaches to economic development. Drawing upon key informant interviews with a case study of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia (BC), Canada, this research explores the role of local agency in mobilizing local investments to facilitate a place-based economic transition. Our findings highlight how vulnerabilities within the staples-dependent economy can provide opportunities for unlocking local talents, energies, and capabilities latent under paternalistic institutional structures. This can be achieved by investing in place-based economic planning, social and economic infrastructure, and place revitalization. We also highlight the importance of collective local agency and extra-local networks in mobilizing these investments to achieve local aspirations and vision.