This weekend I was golfing at the St Andrews By the Lake course just outside of Penticton when I came across this sign. Much of my work in the past two years has been focused on amenity based rural development - or the idea that rural areas can use the amenities that make them attractive to visitors, to encourage repopulation of rural areas as well. This sign showcased what many in real estate have known all along, that the attractiveness of these amenities when experienced as a visitor, can often be the impetus for resettlement decisions.
In this case, the golf course and the scenic amenities in the rural area were being promoted as key lifestyle enhancements. I have written about ABRD in previous posts, so won't repeat a lot of that here - but will reiterate that for rural areas thinking about using this approach (or who already are pursuing tourism and repopulation but perhaps not with a unified strategy) - collaborating with those in real estate is likely an important step in setting up a sustainable future for the area. While most view real estate sales as "anti-sustainable development", I have been impressed with the level of market intelligence that firms possess that can help indicate who is moving to the area, how long are they staying, what attracts them and what influences them to leave. This information, combined with the long term land use plans for rural regions (once we get those in place in all regions of BC) can help us connect amenities with desired migrants.
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