Mindful deviation in creating a governance path towards sustainability in resort destinations

Abstract

Drawing on recent work in evolutionary economic geography, we focus on path creation as the framework for understanding how, in a resort destination context, the shift from growth models to ones based on principles of sustainability are evolving. Path creation emphasizes the power of human agency by recognizing the influence of entrepreneurs in shaping their environments. In the case study of the mountain resort of Whistler, British Columbia, we focus on one key aspect of the discourse surrounding the transition in governance from growth towards sustainability – that of affordable housing. The data are drawn from key informant interviews, participant observation and community document sources. The findings demonstrate how, through ‘mindful deviation’ from a growth model approach, Whistler entrepreneurs were able to utilize the collective agency of the community, generated in support of a new governance model based on principles of sustainability, to address the pressing need for affordable employee housing. This resulted from the opportunity to host the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Through the efforts of both individual and collective human agency Whistler entrepreneurs were able to persuade the local Olympic organizing committee to conform to the resort's sustainability mandate in the development of athletes’ accommodation that would later serve as permanent resident-restricted housing. Overall, the study demonstrates the utility of employing a path creation lens as an analytical tool for understanding evolutionary change.

Keywords:

• tourism
• path creation
• mindful deviation
• evolutionary economic geography
• destination governance
• affordable housing
• sustainability
• Whistler
• Olympic legacy

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully thank the many people in Whistler who have willingly shared their insights into the resort community's journey towards sustainability.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada [grant number 410-2011-0752].

Notes on contributors

Alison M. Gill

Alison M. Gill is a Professor with a joint appointment in the Department of Geography and the School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada. Her research interests lie in tourism planning and the transformations of place, especially in mountain resort destinations.

Peter W. Williams

Peter W. Williams is a Professor in the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada, where he is the Director of the Centre for Tourism Policy and Research. His research interests are tourism policy, planning and management issues, especially strategies that lead to more sustainable use of natural and cultural resources.