Achieving aspirations of Canadian aboriginal communities through participatory cultural mapping and dynamic decision modelling

The aspirations of aboriginal communities are a critical part of decision making regarding land and resource use, policy and community development, and strategic planning. To help achieve aboriginal aspirations, this project aims to develop, apply, and evaluate a novel approach to aid aboriginal community decision making and solution creation/implementation. This approach builds upon current research with the Heiltsuk Nation of Bella Bella, BC, who will be the project’s partner community. This project will use participatory action research techniques to: 1) identify community aspirations and assets, 2) spatially represent community assets, 3) co-develop housing options towards achieving aspirations, and 4) implement and assess the selected housing options. Benefit to Partner Organization: The post-doctoral researcher, under the mentoring of the principal investigator, will develop strong academic skills in participatory research and hands-on experience helping Aboriginal communities achieve their goals. TO BE CONT’D

Faculty Supervisor:

Christopher Gaston

Student:

Stefania Pizzirani

Partner:

FPInnovations

Discipline:

Forestry

Sector:

Aboriginal affairs

University:

Program: