Company towns have shaped Canadian culture, but many of such communities have undergone radical transitions to an uncertain post-industrial future. How are these communities dealing with their historic landscapes—especially the residential neighbourhoods threatened by neglect or gentrification, places that some would prefer to forget, others to romanticize, and still others to understand and to re-use. There is much more work to do than put up plaques or pass designation by-laws. There are complex social and financial realities to consider. This book explores what happens, or sometimes what does not happen, when residents and policy-makers try to conserve the fabric or vestiges of communities whose economies have collapsed or places that have been forced to make a major transition to stay alive. But the ability to make a transition has a great deal to do with the DNA of a place. What were its founding moments? What were the early institutions and organizations that forged a spirit of place? How have these shaped the character of the community and made it more or less entrepreneurial when faced with the sometimes urgent need to re-orient the local economy and find new vocations for places. These sorts of economic and social considerations are seeping into the consciousness of those who work on and champion heritage conservation in Canada, and they are the subject of this collection of essays from academics and practitioners widely engaged in a variety of projects hoping to redefine the company town.

Andrew Molloy is Professor of Political Science and a member of the teaching faculty in the MBA CED (Community Economic Development) program at Cape Breton University. His areas of academic specialization include public policy and public administration, community economic development, Canadian government and politics and applied research methodology.

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Tom Urbaniak PhD, is a respected author on public policy and grassroots action. Professor of political science, director of the Tompkins Institute and university parliamentarian at Cape Breton University in Sydney, Nova Scotia, he has chaired several local and national non-profit organizations, including the National Trust for Canada and Faith & the Common Good (national inter-faith network). A leader in the Polish community in Atlantic Canada, Tom works effectively with diverse communities. He has served as an official Canadian election observer in Ukraine and is a recipient of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Medal for his volunteer service to his community, his province and to Canada. His Breton Books include Dignity, Develoment, Democracy and In the Public Square.

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