The GNAR Initiative acts as an intellectual incubator to foster and support multi-university and trans-disciplinary research aimed at better documenting and holistically understanding the opportunities and challenges in GNAR communities. It also develops, helps implement, and studies evidence-based strategies for helping western GNAR communities thrive amid change. As they become popular places to live and visit, gateway and natural amenity region (GNAR) communities tend to experience a variety of interconnected planning, transportation, economic, community development, and sustainability issues. GNAR communities that have not yet “been discovered” often face a variety of other concerns, such as issues associated with limited economic opportunities.
Other Research
Social Impacts from Ski Resort Expansion
The purpose of this document is to catalog and describe how the USDA Forest Service has assessed the socioeconomic impacts associated with expanded ski resort operations on Forest Service lands in the past.
Smart and Connected GNAR Communities - The GNAR Compass Concept
With initial funding from the National Science Foundation, our research team brought together expertise from the social and spatial sciences capable of transforming the way communities plan for and respond to interruptions in the flow of tourists brought
Rural Gentrification and the Spillover Effect
With initial funding from the National Institute for Transportation and Communities, we launched a flagship multi-year study to explore interconnected housing, transportation, and land use challenges and strategies in western gateway communities. This stu
Planning and Development Challenges in Gateway Communities
mall towns and cities outside scenic public lands, national parks, and other natural amenities in the western United States have become popular places to live and visit. While this has created many opportunities for these “gateway communities,” it has als
Bears Ears Evaluation
The sandstone hoodoos and shaded canyons of Bears Ears National Monument are high on the bucket list for hikers, climbers, birders, bikers and camping families—and communities in Utah’s San Juan County are coming to economically depend on these visitors.
The GNAR Research Network