The 4 of us in this team ( Ilaine, Maegan, Stephanie, Stella) are all truly excited to be able to work alongside with the Social Planning Council of Williams Lake.

When we contacted our community partner, Jessica, she said that the board would not be meeting until the second last week of January. In addition to this, the membership is only meeting the last week of January. As such she suggested that we touch base on January 28th or 29th so that she can give us as much insight as possible.

As a result, the only information we have in regards to possibilities for research question is surrounding the concern for transportation and access to schools for communities that live outside of central Williams Lake. We therefore decided to use our time right now to do some preliminary research to understand the context in which our question may sit, brainstormed some potential research questions, discussed methodologies, identified possible obstacles/challenges, envision desired outcomes, and discuss what we hope to gain in our own personal development. Nothing is set in stone yet as we realize that due to the nature of this project we may need to adapt as we collaborate with our community partner and face unforeseen challenges.

The following text is the result of our combined thoughts in regards to this project:

What we hope to attain within our own personal development:

• Learning how planning works in smaller towns and rural areas
  • What are the problems that are unique to small towns?
  • What does rural sustainability look like?
  • What kind of planning tools can be used to ameliorate issues around interconnectedness?
• Put theory to practice
• Gain experience working “in the field”
• Taking matters into our own hands and initiating a project that will hopefully making some positive change

Geography:

Williams lake is located in central British Columbia within the Cariboo region. It was once home to the Cordilleran Ice Sheet which has helped to shape its unique geomorphological characteristics (Clague, 1986). The city itself is lays between the Cariboo mountains and the Fraser river and it’s accompanying Chilcotin ranching region. Today’s core portion of the city is located at the western end of Williams lake. The city is also an intersection point of highway 20 and 97 and therefore has become a well known service center for travelers. In respect to its climatic condition, the city is within a relatively dry climate with mild winters and extremely cold winters. (Super Natural British Columbia)

Economy:

-Williams lake’s economy is reliant on forestry (Community Snapshot – Williams Lake Cariboo Economic Region, British Columbia)

-Tourism (Fray, 2006)

-Which means we can somewhat presume the basic source of income and level income of families living in the region. This factor is crucial when thinking about our project, whether it is suitable and affordable for the local communities once finished.

Demographics and population distribution:

-Population declined by 20% between 1996 – 2006 (Community Snapshot – Williams Lake Cariboo Economic Region, British Columbia)

-Low birthrate, high elderly population. Which demographic group will our project serve?

Possible methodologies

• Surveys
  • Questions addressing about community’s desires, feelings, community spaces, mental maps (how well they feel connected to the city).
• Technology for communication
  • Lateral (peer-to-peer)
  • Hierarchical (community to service provider)
• Use census data
  • Spatial distribution of youth
  • Community types
  • Income
  • “Core needy”
• Web cartography
• Explore connections between communities

Desired/Possible Outcomes

• Map based message boards for ride sharing facilitation
• Collaborative school travel solutions
  • e.g. have children bike/walk to one common place where the school bus/ride shares can pick them up

Possible challenges

• Weather as a barrier to active transportation (cold weather and snowfall)
  • Access to protective clothing
• Feasibility of school bus routes depends on spatial distribution of population and schools
• Where and how often do parents work and what are the routes they take to work
• How can we make sure we fairly represent all groups?
• Parents (in)ability to participate in the project
  • Lack of internet access, busy work schedules, lack of transportation method to get to meeting sites
• Equity issues
• Vulnerability of Indigenous women and children
• (perceptions of) Safety when traveling