Planning for social and psychological needs at a Canadian Arctic military installation ...

• Main Author: Moore, William R.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2010
• Subjects: Arctic; permafrost
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0098475; https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0098475

The Canadian Arctic is a region that greatly contrasts with the remainder of Canada, particularly the main area of settlement: the thin strip of land in southern Canada along the United States boundary. Since Canadian military personnel come primarily from southern Canada, being sent to an arctic installation places them in an unfamiliar, confined, isolated and potentially threatening environment that may expose them to social and psychological stresses that they are unprepared to encounter. Planning of an arctic military installation must consider physical design constraints such as construction in areas of permafrost and physical protection from the harsh natural environment. However, planning should also consider the social and psychological needs of the inhabitants. The purpose of this thesis is to identify measures that should be considered in planning a Canadian arctic military installation in order to alleviate the social and psychological stresses of this unique environment. The scope is limited to ...