Cold Region Integrated Infrastructure Planning (CRIIP)

Cold Region Integrated Infrastructure Planning (CRIIP) – A Traditional Approach to Community Development Kenneth R. Johnson, MCIP, P.Eng. Developed: 2004 04 09 Revised: 2006 01 03 The development and sustaining of infrastructure of infrastructure in cold region communities has always been influenced by a variety of financial, administrative, operational and regulatory factors (Johnson, June 2003). Over the past 10 years the complexity of these factors has increased substantially with changes to infrastructure in the form of available financial resources, the administrative structures, the operational responsibilities, and the regulatory environments.

Many of these changes have increased the overall complexity of infrastructure development and sustainability in cold region communities particularly at the community level.

Many communities are finding the demands of these complexities to be well beyond their financial and administrative resources, and as a consequence are placing themselves in very undesirable situations with regard to community funding and regulatory compliance (Johnson, March 2003).

The growth of cold region communities, and aboriginal communities in general is outpacing non-aboriginals by a staggering margin. In the 2001 census the aboriginal community population of 976, 300 was 22 percent higher that the 1996 figure, whereas the non-aboriginal population grew only 3.4 percent in the same period (Johnson, April 2004) Many cold region communities are seeking, and receiving the technical and capacity assistance needed to cope with this boom from senior governments and consultant.

However, these resources are discovering that new and innovative approaches will ultimately be required in the future to meet the challenges associated with development needs for cold region communities.

The term “integrated” has been used in the context of urban planning with the recognition that one of the greatest challenges for natural and social scientists in the coming decades is to understand how urban areas evolve through interactions between humans and biophysical processes (Alberti, M., and Waddell, P., 2000). The term “integrated” has also been used in the context of applied sciences through the recognition of a global specialization of “integrated urban engineering” which educates engineers to technically manage the processes of urban infrastructure planning, provision, operation and maintenance in an integrated and innovative approach (UNESCO-IHE, Institute for Water Education).

The research, and training associated with these applications of “integrated infrastructure planning” do not recognize the unique and demanding characteristics of cold region communities which are the result of geography, climate, and culture.

The concept of Cold Regions Integrated Infrastructure Planning (CRIIP) employs the underlying the key principal of cultural because many northern communities have difficulty seeing any relevance in planning as it is applied in a modern context (See Figure 1). The result that has been seen time and time again across the cold regions is that the infrastructure planning ultimately fails to meet its long term objectives.

The key elements of CRIIP are spatial, chronological, organizational, financial and educational (See Figure 2). The key strategies of CRIIP are combining knowledge, combining resources, and combining perspectives. The key questions for the CRIIP process, applying the key elements, are: • • •

What are the desired relationships; What are the required relationships; and, What are the practical relationships.

The need for a visual based approach in applying CRIIP is based upon the recognition that aboriginal communities have, with the exception of the past century, been exclusively oral in their communication. The inherent way for learning in an aboriginal cultural is oral, which uses stories and symbols as the means of conveying ideas, and information. The people from these different cultures are very different in the way they hear, learn, and communicate information about the world in which they live in (Johnson, April 2003).

The spatial elements of CRIIP (See Figure 3) present the fundamental envelopes of a community land use plan. The challenge in cold region communities is that the various envelopes of a community are often found to be in conflict or creating “negative interactions” as a community develops. These conflicts create potential public health issues with the potential for the contamination of drinking water supplies, as well as financial issues because the cost of new infrastructure is several times greater in cold region communities.

The organizational elements of CRIIP (See Figure 4) present the layers disseminating from community leadership; it must be recognized that in aboriginal cultures traditional decision making occurs from the grassroots up, and not from the top down.

Organizational activity will also occur parallel to the organizational layers. Senior Government administrations function in a modern context within and around the traditional activities.

The chronological elements of CRIIP (See Figure 5) evolve around the four seasons of time with traditional activities alternating with modern activities throughout the seasons.

Activities “accumulate” throughout the year from beginning to end and many milestones many occur in both a traditional and modern context. Traditional activities include hunting and fishing, and modern activities include the fiscal year cycle and the building season.

The financial elements of CRIIP (See Figure 6) are entirely a modern phenomenon, which has a clearly established circular pattern formed around the “funding” requirements of infrastructure. The financial cycle may originate with needs, followed by substantiation; substantiation then moves to the funding application, decision making and finally the administration of the funding.

The educational elements of CRIIP (See Figure 7) are based upon the traditional education context where the inherent method of learning is “literary”, where information is transmitted by means of systematic and sequential lessons drawn from events, and information. The hierarchy of traditional learning follows from the elders with teaching and mentoring. In a modern context education may include “traditional” information and “technical” information.

The application of the elements of the CRIIP concept have occurred and are occurring on a regular basis, but these are only “pockets” of activities. The full potential of CRIIP may only be realized if the concept is fully applied on a broad basis with all of the “stakeholders” participating.

References: 1. Alberti, M., and Waddell, P. An Integrated Urban Development and Ecological Simulation Model.

Department of Urban Design and Planning, University of Washington. March, 2000 2. Johnson, Kenneth R. Development Needs for North Communities – The Challenges Associated with the Continuing “Boom”. Planning Digest, April, 2004 3. Johnson, Kenneth R. Balancing Words and Images. Planning Digest, April 2003.

4. Johnson, Kenneth R. Cold Region Integrated Infrastructure Planning (CRIIP).

Cryofront Journal of Cold Region Technologies, Volume 5, Number 2, March, 2003.

5. Johnson, Kenneth R. Water and Sewer Infrastructure – Integrated Perspective.

Unpublished Report. June, 2003.

6. UNESCO-IHE, Institute for Water Education. International Masters Programme in Municipal Water and Infrastructure, Integrated Urban Engineering. http://www.ihe.nl/education/mwi.htm