D.W. Knight Associates has an extensive background and interest in the economic and cultural health of rural and northern economies. Community land use planning is often undertaken as if it is an isolated, single-purpose exercise. However, the way communities are planned physically influences their economic, social/cultural and environmental future, on many levels. Another element too often undervalued is the need to achieve community understanding and buy-in during the planning process.

It is vitally important to take a long-term view in preparing, and particularly in implementing, community plans, rather than fall victim to short term thinking. Secondly, while the Community Plan is first and foremost for the community's residents, it is strategically important to understand the needs and expectations of the investors, future residents and tourists the community is aiming to attract for its future development.

In the Tourism sector for example, if a community wishes to become a successful destination, after determining its competitive advantages, it needs to follow through on a number of fronts:

• quality of the built environment,
• preservation of heritage structures,
• location and design of food and accommodations facilities,
• treatment of shorelines, waterways and other key heritage features, and
• outlets for the celebration of local culture.

These are among the several policy areas that need to be addressed in the community's plans.

Another example is the overwhelming evidence that decisions by today's corporations on where to locate new ventures often depends more on things like:

• the quality and character of the community,
• lifestyle offerings, and
• its people...

...than, for example, on the availability of financial incentives.

The building of partnerships with neighbouring communities is another essential policy area in building the cluster of services and attractions needed for a sustainable region.

Community quality and character depends on many things, such as:

• quality heritage buildings,
• the presence of authentic, local business rather than chain stores
• recreational opportunities, and
• active non-profit community organizations.

Approximately fifty Municipal Plans, in addition to Development Schemes and Development Regulations have been completed for Councils, land owners and agencies. This has included the development of comprehensive policies, zoning regulations and development schemes.

In addition to private sector clients, our Community clients have stretched from northern Labrador and Newfoundland's south coast, including:

Nain, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Torbay, Portugal Cove-St. Philips, Conception Bay South, Mount Pearl, Wabush, Port aux Choix, Stephenville, Pasadena, Glovertown, Rocky Harbour, Reidville, Hopedale, Makkovik, Rigolet, Baie Verte, Springdale, Grand Falls-Windsor, Gander, Glovertown, Ramea, Clarenville, Spaniard's Bay, Trinity and Bonavista.

St. John's Airport Environs Development Plan (Dennis Knight, Senior Planner with MacLaren Plansearch Ltd.), for the Department of Municipal and Provincial Affairs. The Plan designated land for a range of uses from industrial to rural.

Comparative Cost Analysis of Provincial Industrial Park Lands prepared for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), addressed the competitiveness of the Province's industrial parks relative to other Atlantic Provinces.

Octagon Pond Industrial Development Scheme prepared for the Department of Municipal and Provincial Affairs, included:

• assessment of commercial/industrial land supply and demand in the St. John's Region,
• inventory of commercial/industrial land, current and projected, and
• projection of future needs.

Newfoundland and Labrador Ports Master Plan completed for Transport Canada, assessed the future economic development role of port infrastructure. It included fifty-four ports throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

Burin Peninsula Economic Feasibility Study, included an assessment of alternate uses for fishplants and other under-utilized infrastructure.

Clarenville/Isthmus Regional Plan developed for the Provincial government, to project the extent of economic development expected in the region from Hibernia and to accommodate these needs.

TCH Route Evaluation, Town of Pasadena, evaluated two alternate routes, including their impact on tourism/recreation development, neighbourhood structure, lifestyle and business.

Land and Resource Use Component, Hibernia Environmental Impact Statement, projected the impact Hibernia would have on the future use of land and natural resources (eg. agriculture, forestry, mining) on the Avalon and Burin Peninsulas.