Planning principles are a great opportunity to orient decision-making in the responsible development of Nunavik’s Northern Villages, involving their population in the process. These 11 principles aim to ensure that future scenarios for the development of appropriate living environments include 1) a reinforcement of Inuit values, 2) an overall goal of sustainability for generations to come, and 3) an empowerment of the local population.

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The 11 principles form a wheel composed of three interdependent opportunities for sustainable development : land and environment, community and culture, local resources and economy. This representation is inspired by a project named             initiated by a European applied-research team in the field of vernacular architecture.

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Each principle is further detailed and illustrated in the site’s tabs. You can click on the + symbols in the wheel to be redirected to the complete description. Since the team worked in close collaboration with Kangiqsualujjuaq to elaborate these principles, this village is used as an example in the sketches. That said, the principles remain very relevant in the context of other Nunavik’s Northern Villages.

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To contribute to the community’s well-being and To adopt ecological construction strategies and extend buildings’ lifespan are two planning principles that act on a broader scale. Their foundations are set in each and every other principle, which means that they can’t be represented and detailed on their own. However, they remain utterly important and should always be taken into account on the same level as the other principles.