ABSTRACT
Effects of the trans Alaska oil pipeline construction on Fairbanks may be regarded as an example of the social, cultural, and economic impacts of rapid resource development on a community, or it may be regarded as a unique event in the history of a small town in Interior Alaska. Since Fairbanks had little control over decisions in the macroenvironment affecting it and little access to information which could have enhanced the planning process, there was much uncertainty about the future. Perhaps the most important lesson that can be learned from the Fairbanks experience is that unjust and unrealistic expectations were placed on the community. The US Bureau of the Census and the Bureau of Labor Statistics have specialized in gathering and analyzing this type of information, but their resources were not mobilized in the Fairbanks situation. Finally, the Fairbanks experience poses an ethical dilemma to community leaders, planners, decision-makers, social scientists and citizens.
