An exploration into community dynamics acknowledges the fact that there are many different people with different opinions and lifestyles, living in the same community. Acknowledging and working within these community dynamics, instead of against them, will help community members understand each other and work together in order to create the best possible solutions to challenges that the community might face.
Gateway and natural amenity region (GNAR) communities often experience a great amount of change over a short time period as these communities become desirable places to live and visit. Many GNAR communities were initially founded as natural resource extraction economies and others were created as small, rural agricultural communities, but have recently become tourism and recreation hotspots. These economic, and often times political and social, changes tend to bring about new dynamics within the community. The tensions between old and new can be a defining challenge for some GNARs.
Many communities experience differences between residents and visitors, full time residents and seasonal homeowners, old-timers and new-comers, different economic sectors, and a range of political views. These different groups within a community are likely to have differing views on how typical GNAR challenges should be dealt with, or not dealt with. In the worst situations, difficult community dynamics can prevent a GNAR community from planning for its future, solving problems, and facing changes that will inevitably happen. Identifying and working within these conflicting interests can be both a challenge and an opportunity for collaboration-based problem solving.
This page will provide resources on identifying social and community dynamics and conflicts, community building, intergovernmental relationships, and the preservation of quality of life in GNAR communities.