Winter Cities - Theme Cities: Solutions for Urban Problems - page 284

8.3.4 The Social North

Traditional societies certainly found ways of adjusting to winter, for travel by dog-
sled, skis or snowshoes was often easier in winter, making it possible to cross frozen
lands or seas. The modern use of snowmobiles continues this tradition of easier mo-
bility in winter. But people in modern societies have found that their major means
of transport, by car or rail, is seriously handicapped by winter, since there are so
few roads, at least in the far North. However, the modern routine of life, with its set
work and school hours, make it difficult to take time off from work when weather
conditions become really extreme. Moreover winter has its most serious effects on
the most vulnerable , the poor and infirm, who may not be able to afford appropriate
housing and heating, or negotiate snowy streets. The homeless in particular need
to be catered for in winter by shelters and provided with hot food, since they are
especially at risk.
Winter conditions, whether physical or psychological, often make it more dif-
ficult to travel around . Also there is often less desire to be exposed to these condi-
tions. This usually leads to lower outdoor activity and less social interaction be-
tween people in the settlements, at least in modern communities. The exception
may lie in those northern agricultural areas that have long winters, such as the Ca-
nadian Prairies, where the limited amount of work on the land in this season does
lead to a greater socialization in visiting friends, news exchange and participation
in winter sports activities in the small service towns that dot the region. Yet it is
important not to over-generalise about the degree of winter activity and attitudes
towards the season, for different people vary in their attitudes to winter depending
on their traditions of living in winter climates and personal experience. In addi-
tion, age differences occur. For example, surveys in Hokkaido, and later in other
northern climates (Enai et al 2002 ), have shown that many young children relish
the onset of winter, because they are able to play in the snow and ice, whereas
most adults view the change with dread, unless they are winter sports enthusiasts.
However as the children age, these surveys have shown that children's attitudes
to winter change towards greater negativity, unless they have been encouraged in
school to play outdoors and to engage in winter activities. More recently, Sweden
has long advocated this approach and, recently has been persuading the children of
immigrants, who often fear winter, to enrol in playgroups and kindergartens from
the age of 18 months. This means they will have an early start on learning Swedish
and being exposed to outdoor activities, rather than arriving at full time school with
their parent's negative attitudes to winter, and usually with limited ability in Swed-
ish, which handicaps their subsequent progress.
Recognition of these problems have led advocates of the Winter City movement
to search for ways of re-designing settlements or retro-fitting older ones to mitigate
the negative effects of winter upon settlements, as well as searching for ways of
improving the life-style of people in these places to enrich life, and create a joy in
the experience and conditions of winter that cannot be obtained in other seasons
and environments. Most of these improvements can be summarized in two broad