Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
for. However in recent years the reluctance of the local population or students in
Nordic countries to gather berries has led companies to bring in seasonal work-
ers from overseas, which has often led to the overharvesting of berry crops and to
disputes with local residents. In addition, many of these northern settlements are
in more isolated areas of countries that have been extensively glaciated, leaving
large numbers of lakes and bare rocky outcrops, and with almost no permanent
agricultural activity, which is, therefore, very cheap land or held in state reserves.
The development of second homes in these sparsely populated hinterlands of some
winter cities, has created the so-called '
cottage country'
(Halseth
1998
), located
within a few hour's drive of the towns. Most are constructed around lakes, provid-
ing unrivalled
recreational opportunities
for summer residents or vacationers. It
has been estimated (M￤nty
1988
) that one third of Finnish families spend part of the
summer months in such houses in a rural environment, which empties the big cities
at holiday time. Finally, the presence of the surrounding wild forest means many
opportunities for
photography or for hunting
the often extensive wildlife resources
in their hinterlands. These features add to the positive nature of life in Winter Cit-
ies in the summer months, providing opportunities not normally available in more
southerly lands. The result is an additional distinctive and much valued life in the
short summers for many northern residents, one that complements the activities of
the long winters.
86
Conclusions and Opportunities
The Winter City movement is a design and behavioural approach to improve the
quality of life in northern settlements, to ensure that winter is better coped with
and celebrated, not just endured. Obviously the degree to which a city is affected
by winter varies according to its location, but many of the features outlined in this
review can also be applied to those places that only have a limited cold season. Al-
though rapid progress in creating a better accommodation to winter is being made
in some towns and cities, there seems little doubt that North American settlements
still lag behind those in the Scandinavian countries in developing and implement-
ing these new Winter City ideas. Perhaps the exception lies in the city centres of
the larger, economically vibrant cities, where commercial considerations have led
to the development of covered interior retail spaces. They certainly protect citizens
from winter conditions but make few attempts to help citizens adapt and use the
beneficial aspects of winter. The more advanced application of Winter City ideas
is probably a result of the fact that residents of the Nordic countries have had far
more centuries of living with, and coping with, winter, whilst Americans and even
Canadians have been more prone to use modernist ideas in urban buildings, which
have often ignored winter. Also, until recently they have been less prepared to plan
for, or spend public money on Winter City initiatives. However there are signs of
real change even in bigger North American centres, such as the city of Edmonton's
recent vision and implementation plan for “
reclaiming the joy of winter in order to
