Tragedy of the Commons

An on-going Beacon feature on land use & planning - to alert, inform, and prompt community action - and to celebrate success!

Is it too late? Can the Inner Harbour be saved, or are we looking at another urban tragedy?

Diane Carr doesn't think so. Past Chair of the Land Use Committee of the Victoria West Community Association (VWCA), she was the guest presenter at the March'09 meeting of the James Bay Neighbourhood Association (JBNA). Her presentation on the controversial marina proposed for Victoria's Inner Harbour, and the VWCA's continuing opposition to the project since1986, stimulated a lively exchange. The Developer, Robert Evans, and the General Manager - Marina Operations, Victoria International Marina, Lachlan MacLean, were also in attendance. (Concerns regarding this project - its size, the impact of dredging, the potential increase to wave action in the harbour, and loss of public access - have been covered in the mainstream media and elsewhere in this edition of the Beacon). The City, having jurisdiction over two small water lots, is the minor player in the application. The City downzoned the 2 lots to preserve views and public access. The major players are the Province of British Columbia with control of the main water lot of 6.42 acres, and Transport Canada, with overall authority over the proposed development under the federal Navigable Waters Act. While the overlap of three jurisdictions makes the application process difficult for the developer, perhaps more importantly, it makes it just about impossible for opponents to mount any organized opposition to the development. (see )

"The Tragedy of the Commons is an influential article written by Garrett Hardin and first published in the journal Science in 1968. The article describes a dilemma in which multiple individuals acting independently in their own self-interest can ultimately destroy a shared limited resource even when it is clear that it is not in anyone's long term interest for this to happen". (from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)