Literary Dose #20

"It is here [Baja California], in the Bay of Loreto, where developers are building a 5,000-unit resort designed by Andreas Duany, who is selling it to the world as 'the first ecologically friendly subdivision.' In a typical New Urbanist appeal, this mega development (PDF link) is customized by an authentic Mexican Village, completing the invasion of Loreto Bay by no only mono culture of upper-middle-class North American land owners who can afford this island of pleasure, but by 'Seaside' and 'Celebration' type of planning, making this the official arrival of New Urbanism in grand scale to the Mexican West Coast. Beyond issues of architectural style, however, it is tragic that these mega developments, as ecologically responsible and manicured as they can be, are indifferent to the social and economic inequalities they will engender, as these 'all inclusive' and gated environments might be eventually surrounded by the shanty towns built by their own service providers. This phenomenon will add to the strange asymmetry at the border and along the political equator's trajectory, as this will become another instance of the kind of neoliberalist urbanites worldwide that continue to be supported by cheap labor (service sector), on one end, and the emergence of expensive real estate (enclaves of wealth), on the other."

- Teddy Cruz, "Border Tours: Strategies of Surveillance, Tactics of Encroachment," from Indefensible Space: The Architecture of the National Insecurity State (2008), edited by Michael Sorkin.