Winter City
Encyclopedia
Winter City or Winter Cities is a concept for communities in northern latitudes that encourages them to plan their transportation systems, building
s, and recreation
project around the idea of using their infrastructure
during all four seasons, rather than just two seasons (summer and autumn).
and once had chapters in Minneapolis, Ottawa
and Anchorage
. Members included cities, planners, architects, engineers and other interested persons from around the world. From 1982-2005, the Association organized conference
s, published books and the quarterly magazine "Winter Cities". As a non-profit managed by a dedicated but small group of volunteers, the Livable Winter Cities Association, in the end, struggled to maintain its mission. The Association mission is revived now through the efforts of the Winter Cites Institute, whose members include municipalities, community leaders and design professionals from around the world.
In communities and regions where the concept of embracing winter
has taken hold, it has made a dramatic impact on the lives of residents, especially in terms of improving winter livability, increasing tourism
and strengthening the economy
during what had been a traditional down time. The concept has been responsible for helping many communities see the opportunities that winter offers and helping many residents in the north acknowledge that winter can be an enjoyable time of year and that not everyone need move to warmer climes from November through May.
It has often been said that many communities in northern latitudes are living in denial of their northern climate
. As evidence, they point to the fact that many northern cities are designed in much the same way that southern/warm-climate cities are designed.
and cold while enhancing the advantages, opportunities and beauty of the winter season. A positive approach benefits the attitudes of residents, and bolsters the community’s ability to attract new business and residents.
The mission of the Winter Cities Institute is to provide information, resources and networking
opportunities for those who desire to make northern communities more livable and sustainable. Their goal is to be the best source for information, research, reports, plans and news about winter cities from around the northern world, focusing on how to make the best of the winter season.
The membership includes architects, planners, landscape architects, engineers, elected and appointed city officials, parks and recreation professionals, economic developers, and community leaders and activists interested in learning new approaches and exchanging success stories.
The Winter Cities Institute website offers a vast collection of materials about winter cities. A selection of resource materials is provided at no cost, however, membership provides access to the large library of the Winter Cities Institute.
City and town planning
, site design, transportation and infrastructure engineering, and architecture can all benefit through the application of "Winter City" design principles that work with nature rather than against it, in order to make winter a positive part of a four-season lifestyle. The goal is to create livability, reduce human discomfort, promote energy efficiency
and the economic sustainability of northern places.
Building
In architecture, construction, engineering, real estate development and technology the word building may refer to one of the following:...
s, and recreation
Recreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun"...
project around the idea of using their infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
during all four seasons, rather than just two seasons (summer and autumn).
Background
The Livable Winter Cities Association was formed in 1982 by a group of people from across North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and once had chapters in Minneapolis, Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
and Anchorage
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
. Members included cities, planners, architects, engineers and other interested persons from around the world. From 1982-2005, the Association organized conference
Convention (meeting)
A convention, in the sense of a meeting, is a gathering of individuals who meet at an arranged place and time in order to discuss or engage in some common interest. The most common conventions are based upon industry, profession, and fandom...
s, published books and the quarterly magazine "Winter Cities". As a non-profit managed by a dedicated but small group of volunteers, the Livable Winter Cities Association, in the end, struggled to maintain its mission. The Association mission is revived now through the efforts of the Winter Cites Institute, whose members include municipalities, community leaders and design professionals from around the world.
In communities and regions where the concept of embracing winter
Winter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in temperate climates, between autumn and spring. At the winter solstice, the days are shortest and the nights are longest, with days lengthening as the season progresses after the solstice.-Meteorology:...
has taken hold, it has made a dramatic impact on the lives of residents, especially in terms of improving winter livability, increasing tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
and strengthening the economy
Economy
An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
during what had been a traditional down time. The concept has been responsible for helping many communities see the opportunities that winter offers and helping many residents in the north acknowledge that winter can be an enjoyable time of year and that not everyone need move to warmer climes from November through May.
It has often been said that many communities in northern latitudes are living in denial of their northern climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
. As evidence, they point to the fact that many northern cities are designed in much the same way that southern/warm-climate cities are designed.
The Winter Cities Institute
Northern communities or “winter cities” have great opportunities to mitigate negative effects of the winter season while reinforcing the many positive aspects to create a vibrant, sustainable and livable environment for a prosperous future. The sustainability of winter cities requires a creative approach that addresses the problems of snowSnow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
and cold while enhancing the advantages, opportunities and beauty of the winter season. A positive approach benefits the attitudes of residents, and bolsters the community’s ability to attract new business and residents.
The mission of the Winter Cities Institute is to provide information, resources and networking
Business networking
Business networking is a socioeconomic activity by which groups of like-minded businesspeople recognize, create, or act upon business opportunities. A business network is a type of social network whose reason for existing is business activity...
opportunities for those who desire to make northern communities more livable and sustainable. Their goal is to be the best source for information, research, reports, plans and news about winter cities from around the northern world, focusing on how to make the best of the winter season.
The membership includes architects, planners, landscape architects, engineers, elected and appointed city officials, parks and recreation professionals, economic developers, and community leaders and activists interested in learning new approaches and exchanging success stories.
The Winter Cities Institute website offers a vast collection of materials about winter cities. A selection of resource materials is provided at no cost, however, membership provides access to the large library of the Winter Cities Institute.
Features of a Winter City
Winter is often perceived as a negative force that generates inconvenience and added cost, in part due to cities and buildings planned and constructed as if they were in a southern, warmer location.City and town planning
Urban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
, site design, transportation and infrastructure engineering, and architecture can all benefit through the application of "Winter City" design principles that work with nature rather than against it, in order to make winter a positive part of a four-season lifestyle. The goal is to create livability, reduce human discomfort, promote energy efficiency
Efficient energy use
Efficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is the goal of efforts to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services. For example, insulating a home allows a building to use less heating and cooling energy to achieve and maintain a comfortable temperature...
and the economic sustainability of northern places.