On a resource development roller coaster?  Rapid growth followed by a seemingly sudden downturn?  You are not alone! There are lessons to be learned from communities who have been through this process before.

What do we mean by hot-spots?

A ‘hot spot’ is an area of social and economic impact that needs attention.  Hot spots can be found where there is a sudden or significant change in an indicator.  They can also be seen where connections in a systems diagram show compounding effects.  For example, a downturn in housing costs can signal that a resource boom has ended.  This can lead to a decrease in population and an increase in crime rates. 

Communities facing rapid resource development often display similar hot spots.  This is the case particularly where growth and change occurs at a rate faster than local government and other institutions can respond.

There are lessons to be learned from communities who have been through a period of rapid growth.  At left are studies of four communities that have experienced rapid growth.  Further examples are being compiled for logged in users of this site.  

Examples of hot spots are below (for logged in users).