Principles and Policies
Statement of
Sustainability - Blackstone Valley Tourism Council
Sustainability is a process or state that can be
maintained at a certain level indefinitely. However the only true
characteristic of the indefinite is change. The Blackstone Valley
Tourism Council understands that true sustainable practices rely on
developing a platform for elasticity, or resiliency, to the
inevitable changing future. The Council therefore aims to formulate
its unit of economic production as an adaptable driver while
sustaining or improving its environmental, cultural and economic
systems.
Sustainable Practices -
Blackstone Valley Tourism Council
How can an organization prepare for its future? By
setting up a resilient and sustainable platform aimed at
organizational enrichment and best-practices today. The Council has
designed itself as a hub of sustainable development thought: at the
forefront of community resiliency and economic vitality, it has
become an indispensable piece of the analyses and dissemination of
global sustainable practices. With its numerous awards and
recognitions, white-papers, journal articles and reports published
as well as conference presentations, the Council demonstrates
techniques that are benchmarked around the globe. As well, the
Council has looked for other revenue-generating activities to
sustain itself during market fluctuations:
Sustainable Tourism Planning and Development Laboratory: connects
the world’s scholars, leaders and practitioners of sustainable
development through a series of interactive dialogues.
Sustainable Planning and Development Advising: provides consulting
services on how to approach sustainable development and economic
enhancement for communities looking for a more vibrant and resilient
future.
The Blackstone Valley Legacy Trust: obtains private
and public financial support for future development projects for the
benefit of the Valley.
Statement of
Sustainability - Blackstone River Valley
The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council understands
its Unit of Economic Production (UEP) as a comprehensive region made
up of nine distinct cities and towns in Rhode Island and connected
by watershed to Massachusetts, USA. The Council attempts to reach
pure sustainability through a comprehensive regional approach that
identifies, analyses, supports and then enhances ten local
conditions. Only through this holistic methodology can the Council
progress towards sustainability of its UEP: focusing on enhancing
quality of life not through the current (and perilous) paradigm of
pure economic growth, but through economic augmentation and
maturity.
UEP’s 10 Local Conditions:
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Social – Demographics, Cost of Living, Change,
Dissonance
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Cultural – Historical & Heritage, Language &
Lifestyle, Art & Artifacts, Multi/Inter-Cultural,
Commercialization
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Knowledge – Information, Learning, Blatant vs.
Latent,
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Economic – Enterprise, Employment,
Entrepreneurship, Poverty vs. Livability vs. Self-Sufficiency
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Ecology - Recreation, Greenspace, Pollution
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Built Environment – Types, Governance, Tax
Base, Desired Conditions
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Governance – Constituency, Efficiency,
Representative, Accountability
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Leadership – Youth, Training
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Technology – Public Transit & Transportation,
Communication & Information Technology
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Health – Access, Environment, Costs, Conditions
Due to the complexity and interrelated conditions of the Council’s
UEP, partnerships have developed with residents as well as local,
regional, state and federal organizations and agencies to define
sustainability through resilient terms. This includes the
development of the Blackstone Valley Partnership – a response to the
‘innovation imperative’, designed to adapt the region to the modern
knowledge-based economy. Including partners and the UEP’s
stakeholders in the Council’s regional development pushes aside the
paradigm of pure-growth and gives depth to local conditions and
voice to grassroots economic enhancement. The Council sees the
future of its UEP as regional self-sufficiency while increasing
quality of life and environmental vitality.
A Sustainable Future Using
a Resiliency Platform - Blackstone River Valley
The rigidity of a plan is destined to shatter under
pressure from inevitable future trends and events. Instead of
‘planning for change’, the Council develops elastic platforms for
its UEP and organization based on possible future events; i.e.
fluctuation of fuel prices, natural and man-made disasters,
disposable income increase in developing nations, etc. These
possible futures inform the Council’s development decisions to
prepare the local economy, residents and environments for these
inevitable fluctuations.