Cabo Polonio, Uruguay
Academic Project
During the late 1990’s a major economical crisis hit Argentina. Having its economy deeply connected to its neighbor Uruguay, the latter’s economy entered a recession soon after. In Uruguay one of the most affected sectors by the crisis was tourism, which was mostly supported by the neighboring countries of Argentina and Brazil. Until this moment, the country’s tourism industry was largely urban based, happening mainly in resorts by the beach and Casinos in cities like Montevideo and Punta Del Este. However, the ascension of tourism in the 2000’s is related to the rise of a new model for tourism. One that is based in the collective experience, in the locality and simplicity, rather than on luxury, consumption, opulence and money. Having less resources, the tourists shifted from the private sphere (from the hotel rooms and the city), to the public sphere (to the beach, the landscape and nature). Cabo Polonio is one of the many coastal towns in Uruguay that in a very organic and unorganized way adapted to receive this new wave of tourists. The town is situated inside a recently created and rigidly protected national park. For a long time construction was not controlled and the city developed in a free manner, foreign to the layout of streets and infrastructure. For that reason, in an effort to prevent further environmental damage, the construction of new buildings in the area is currently prohibited. There lies the fundamental question addressed by this project: how is it possible to develop and explore a protected touristic region, while, at the same time, preserving the essence of the place?
