ECO-TOURISM: projects for a self-evolving ecosystem around landscape, heritage and crafts

In collaboration with Changing Places Group, MIT Media Lab and OSU Knowlton School

open to architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, business, and other interested students.

Project Proposal

Guizhou province in southwestern China is known for its extraordinary and diverse subtropical landscape prolific with waterfalls, caves, valleys and mountains; and for the largest number of ethnic minority cultures in one province, ranging from Miao to Christian. The World Bank has recently agreed to invest sixty million dollars in an effort to assist the development of rural tourism in Guizhou as a catalyst for sustainable economic development in the region.

This class is a workshop to further work begun last year on a series of proposals for the village of Jidao with the specific intent of creating a set of projects that will support a trajectory of self-evolution. This village, while the target of our work, is being understood as a prototype for six other Miao minority villages in Guizhou Province.

Travel Opportunity

All students are eligible to participate in a travel component to Jidao and Guizhou province with side trips in Beijing and Shanghai to present the work. This will take place June 7-19. Up to eight students will be selected from the workshop at MIT and the studio at OSU to receive subsidy to cover airfare cost. This selection will be based upon contribution to the projects.