Re-Thinking Housing: From Physical Manifestation of Colonial Planning Policy to Community-Focused Networks

Abstract

Current housing systems and policies for First Nations communities in Canada produce a physical manifestation of ongoing colonialism: the house. Examinations of the physical community and house yield an understanding of deeply systematized imperial struggles between Indigenous communities and planning as a discipline. Indigenous families are in crisis as the housing system and Federal planning policies have not allowed for the provision of adequate nor appropriate homes. The recent independent Truth and Reconciliation Commission has begun a civic discussion, accompanied by a new federal government looking to begin a new relationship with Indigenous peoples-here we explore how planning can be a leader in this shift. The 'contact zone' is used as an operational lens to examine the ways discourse is used to shape the existing housing system. An interdisciplinary and global approach informs interventions in the existing housing system and policies, creating a community-driven model, and uncovering a reimagined role for the planner.

Waiting Game: Exploring the Lived Experiences of First Nations who are Waiting for Housing to Determine Appropriate Policy and Planning Directions

“…Additionally, these houses do not reflect the priorities of community members, which also contributes to the social challenges associated with the housing itself such as overcrowding and physical and mental health (McCartney, 2016;National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health, 2009). An exploration of the circumstances in which people wait for homes, draws attention to these realities that solidifies the need for more housing.…”

“…which it can be improved. In pursuit of this emerging discipline, many researchers focus on strategies to engage more meaningfully with First Nation communities, and in the process, build the community's capacity to address the issues they may face themselves, and thus regain autonomy over their resources that was lost through colonial measures (Jojola, 2008(Jojola, , 2013Porter, 2013;McCartney, 2016). Lane and Hibbard (2005) cite Friedmann's theory of Transformative Planning that highlights planning's possible "emancipatory role…its potential to transform the structural dimensions of oppression" (p.172).…”

“…Housing is not being provided at the pace in which it is needed, and to the degree to which it was promised by the Canadian federal government (Assembly of First Nations, 2013;Peters and Robillard, 2009; Office of the Auditor General, 2003,17; Office of the Auditor General, 2011;Beedy). McCartney (2016) notes how, "[t]he housing crisis facing Canada's Indigenous population is the physical manifestation of the continued implementation of assimilative policies of Canada's federal government" (p. 21). Waiting for housing is an extension of this manifestation.…”

The Community Housing Plan: The Role Of Capacity In Canadian On-Reserve Housing Policy

“…The colonial government also held the power to determine geographic boundaries of reserves through treaties to control the physical location of First Nation communities (Kyser, 2012). Ultimately, the reserve system was strategically designed with the intent of using land-use as a physical platform where powerful entities could undertake the eradication of Indigenous identity and culture (McCartney, 2016).…”

“…The output of on-reserve housing policy can no longer be reduced to the provision of four walls physical walls and a roof (Kyser, 2012). Policy should instead be viewed as an opportunity to shift First Nations communities from being recipients of programming, to actively partaking in the design and development of housing systems in their communities (McCartney, 2016). If housing plans can be created through Indigenous planning (Jojola, 2008) to both prioritize the current and future needs and appreciate a First Nations unique experience and situation (Mbadugha, 2013), perhaps the process of de-colonizing housing policy on reserve can begin.…”