The North’s Economic Development Plan

aspareme:

racefortheironthrone:

(for previous parts in the series, see here)

Of all of the regions of Westeros we’ve planned for, the North is perhaps the most difficult case we’ve deal with, next to Dorne (which had a much better export profile). 

As the Lord of Winterfell, my main difficulties are that the North is severely underpopulated, and has extreme weather conditions that exacerbate the northerly climate’s limits on agricultural productivity. 

So how do we overcome these problems…ideally, before winter comes?

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This is brilliant–the idea of a canal system to connect the North is one I hadn’t considered, but it works.

Though–how would that be affected by the North’s sub-Arctic climate? Would a canal system be completed in the course of a summer?

The horse-breeding and emphasis on cavalry does make sense, though. You could also establish a policy of relative political isolationism–not totally, because trade will still be a necessity, but at the very least a policy of “don’t start none won’t be none” with the southern kingdoms, and then hold the line at the Neck.

Train your citizenry in what essentially amounts to guerrilla warfare, sort of like House Reed’s strike-and-disappear strategy, and you’d avoid the the Riverland’s’ problem of a helpless peasantry.

With the exception of the sections immediately adjacent to the existing rivers, digging a canal is basically digging a giant trench – it’s easier to do that during the summer, but you’re not limited to the summer. 

Now, one major drawback to a Northern canal is that it’s going to ice over in the winter – which is when you’d need to bring in the sleds – so a lot depends on the level of competition. If a Manderly-Blackwater or Blue Fork canal are active, the economic impact of a canal in the North is going to be severely hampered. 

In canals, tho, there’s a huge first-mover advantage. The Erie Canal wasn’t the shortest canal to the west, but because it was up and running before anyone else, it easily beat the pants off the competition, even after the arrival of the railroad potentially made it obsolete.