‘Aklavik to Be Moved’ 23 December 1953, Edmonton Journal Aklavik lies in the Mackenzie delta on the west channel of the Mack- enzie River. Originally the settlement was the meeting place of the Gwich’in and local Inuvialuit and was a centre for the muskrat fur trade. Silty soil, susceptibility to flooding, erosion of the river banks and the lack of suitable land for population expansion and for the development of an airstrip were characteristics that did not support the political vision for a northern administrative, education, transportation and shipping centre and that justified, for the Government of Canada, a new town site. After extensive evaluation of possible town sites East Three was selected on the east bank of the Mackenzie River 58km east of Aklavik, far from existing trap lines and the seasonal cariboo hunt. Half of the population of Aklavik relocated to this new site, which became Inuvik, now a thriving regional centre of 3500 people.The hamlet of Aklavik, with 750 residents, continues to exist in its original location with a traditional land-based economy. The construction of Inuvik was viewed as a pilot study of what it would take to build a modern northern town with all of the amenities of a southern centre. Infrastructure was paramount, with the construction of roads, pilings for buildings and a network of above ground utilidors that connect every facility to an umbilical cord of building services.The utilidor reinforces the engineered character of the town in contrast to its natural surroundings and limits pedestrian movement and modifica - tion of the space between buildings. Little design attention has been given to building orientation, the creation of sheltered outdoor space or the establishment of a community centre. Built in just over five years, Inuvik’s boom town quality is not unique to the Canadian arctic.
far into the bay. The success of Erskine’s plan, had the population arrived to support it, is debatable.Traditionally, the gathering of people into physical groupings is a natural process driven by common interest or advantage, where communities evolve over time as local priorities and objectives changed. Instant communities embody the thinking of a spe- cific time period in their inability to respond to a human dimension that is not finite and that, in the case of the Aklavik and Rae-Edzo relocation projects, was originally ill-defined. What the Resolute New Town project offers to future community development is the model of Erskine’s design approach. Currently the political and social climate is shifting as self-government and local control of infrastructure becomes reality for many communities. Opportunity exists to develop alternatives that are less foreign to a northern con- text, that are incremental, better suited to the environment and more supportive of the values of its people. Change requires leadership and courage at a community level supported by government and by design professionals. Planning and design of the recent past have muddied the palette, but the day will come when the fabric of our northern commu- nities will reveal an essential, colourful understanding of the physical and social context of our northern realm.
Of the projects here, Resolute Bay is the only community where all residents of the original settlement relocated. It has a small population, close proximity of the new settlement to the old and was formed by the extensive consultation process as to location and town form, led by an architect with skill in design and community planning. Members of the community see both good and bad in the siting, noting the muddy conditions in spring and the inability to sight whales from a location so
Inuvik utilidor, and other details
Tracey Mactavish developed this survey of Northern towns as part of a larger study (see pp 40-51, this issue), with the assistance of the Canada Council.
On Site review 11
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Spring 2004
Architecture of the Circumpolar Region
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