endangered places
what was compelling about a place, what originally attracted a now endless flow of tourists or new residents, long before Instagram (or just the internet?) made cool destinations appealing on a massive scale? can the original draw survive a tsunami of massive development, and all that comes with it? all over the world, it’s happening— newcomers overtaking existing communities, without deep knowledge of the place, or passion to preserve what made it precious for innumerable centuries before it went viral.
how do we preserve what makes a place magic, after it’s been outed as a fantastic spot for remote work, meaning: cheap, or became exponentially trendy as an escapist destination? How do we get back to the real, and really unique, identity of a place, and make sure we don’t destroy it?
what’s at stake: indigenous culture, traditions, rituals, style, processes, taste, languages, sustainability
what are true, natural community assets and how can we fight cooperatively and creatively to preserve them?
how do we protect places whose intrinsic value transcends its’ market value, once that particular market heats up like mad, with no end in sight? that’s when it becomes frightfully urgent, when bare life is at stake even for privileged newcomers who don’t know what’s happening below the surface.
this project spotlights site-specific concerns— luxury condos being built for second homes where existing folks are precariously housed, or giant corporations who buy up local assets— jacking up prices and population density, without supporting necessary improvements in infrastructure, such as new roads and water treatment plants, to support this massive growth. or the proliferation of Airbnbs offering comforts of home, somewhere else, where we have the luxury of living and working without getting attached to— or otherwise investing in the place. what happens when thousands of people are suddenly drawn to a place where the quality of life is high and the cost of living is low, and the profits of our visit go to an absentee landowner or even worse, anonymous shareholders who only care about the financial returns on their corporate investment?
