The Inroads of Resort Economies: The political economy of commuter experience in Big Sky, Montana, USA

Keywords: transportation, tourism, laborers, commuters, resorts, equity
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Monday
Session Start / End Time: 2/28/2022 11:20 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/28/2022 12:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 42

Abstract

Researchers have primarily addressed transportation equity and justice concerns in relation to urban problems (Martens, 2016). However, more inquiry is needed to understand how transport justice functions as a part of rural, car-centric geographies––particularly ones that are undergoing an amenity transition. Growth associated with amenity migration and tourism development drives land speculation and the low-end service labor market growth, driving up housing prices and requiring low-paid workers to spend time and resources commuting long distances to work (Nelson et al., 2010; Nelson & Hines, 2018). Though these factors exacerbate inequality, amenity communities face are challenged to respond with housing and transportation interventions because they cannot quantify rapidly changing demographics and growth, are nostalgic for a pastoral past, or are hobbled by the lack of tax tools and federal dollars available to these communities. Thus, emerging amenity geographies possess unaddressed and poorly understood inequities. This research examines the lived experiences of service laborers who commute upwards of 60 miles to work in the resort town of Big Sky Montana, USA. Using semi-structured ride-along interviews with commuters and an ethnographic approach, this case study describes the phenomenon of rapid amenity growth from the bottom-up lens of laborers’ lived experiences with housing and transportation. By examining how laborers experience commuting––via exposure to hazards, influences on health and social capital, and their experiences with housing, this research provides further understanding of spatial equity and transportation justice in rural and amenity geographies.