Build Back Better. Tourism and hospitality after the pandemic

This global optimistic mood is best reflected in the slogan Build Back Better, which was used by Joe Biden in his election program and later by the UK government for its development strategy. Since the expression Build Back Better is not monopolized, it seems to us to perfectly characterize the current situation in the fields of tourism and hospitality - the most affected by the pandemic, but already in the first months of the easing of restrictions showing rapid growth.

We talk about how resort cities and hoteliers are trying not only to save the situation, but also to take it to a new level.

 

We leave the state of travel grief

The anxiety and urge to change places that used to grip us with the onset of summer has turned into a chronic condition. Today, traveling is not only about moving from one point to another for the sake of curiosity, shopping or sunbathing. More precisely, not so much. This is education and knowledge, finding a purpose, a way to survive grief, a sense of freedom. For a modern person, the ability to travel is one of the main conditions for well-being.

Millions of people around the world admit that quarantine has caused travel grief — culture shock caused by isolation. And the fact that for many the best incentive to get vaccinated was the hope of returning to flying and moving shows that we mistakenly considered tourism to be a frivolous topic in the past.

Blocking international movements led to the fact that the world economy lost $2020 trillion in 1,3! This is about 11 times more than the losses from the crisis of 2008-2009. The travel and tourism industry lost about 100 million jobs. The pandemic also highlighted the role of the hospitality industry in society: it is clear that in hundreds of cities, including capitals, it was the main driver of the local economy and a source of employment.

According to ICAO's latest July report "The impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on civil aviation", the global aviation industry lost $ 371 billion in gross revenue from passenger transportation in 2020, and losses of $ 2021-286 are expected in 317 billion. The relaxation of quarantine restrictions has made it possible to increase the number of flights by an average of 2021% per week since June 5. With a good schedule, the number of flights will reach the level of 2019 in the fall.

 

The burden of tourism

First, surfers discover new beaches in Indonesia with quality waves, entrepreneurs come to fishing villages, boutique hotels are opened, and abandoned Hindu temples are filled with seekers of spiritual harmony. Or New York artists head to the open air in the Berkshires and the outskirts of the post-industrial town of North Adams, and in this deep province Mass MoCA appears, Jean Nouvel and Frank Gehry work on new museum projects, and the previously little-explored Clark Art Institute experiences a real sell-out . This old pattern of creative gentrification still works.

The development of the resort and the commercial development of new territories is a game of chance and welcome, which sincerely excites all involved. Designing a resort frees the hands of architects and unleashes their unrestrained imagination. It is no accident that on the coasts you can find thousands of avant-garde objects - hotels, sanatoriums, private villas.

But sooner or later, development turns negative: overtourism damages the landscape, destroys beaches, creates a huge burden on infrastructure and deprives residents of access to the real estate market. Maya Bay in Thailand (made famous by the movie "The Beach") or the Blue Lagoon in the Turkish village of Oludeniz at the peak of the tourist season have a terrible appearance: there is literally no square meter free of human bodies on the beaches, as well as in the water area intended for safe swimming and fenced with buoys. And the most surprising thing is that such a catastrophic situation does not scare off undemanding tourists at all - with each new season, the number of visitors only increases.

Overcrowding of resorts with people makes them unattractive, first of all, for the wealthiest travelers. The clientele of luxury establishments is leaving noisy "people", which leads to the closure of expensive boutiques, restaurants and hotels

Overcrowding of resorts with people makes them unattractive, first of all, for the wealthiest travelers. The clientele of luxury establishments leaves the noisy "people", which leads to the closure of expensive boutiques, restaurants and hotels. Their place is taken by fast food, chain retail and hostels. Such degentrification eventually depletes natural resources as well: oases turn into scorched earth. Opening of the attraction — development of the resort — gentrification — collapse — decline, oblivion, wildness.

Lockdown, disrupting this resort's natural life cycle, became a beneficial artificial pause that allowed overheated tourist cities to cool down and rest a little. When we complain that the pandemic has almost destroyed tourism, some of the natives of Venice, Amsterdam, Paris (except for absentee real estate managers) only applaud. Lockdown has returned to the citizens a peaceful sleep, which is not disturbed by the drunken screams of vacationers.

With the disappearance of tourist crowds, the streets of European centers became quiet and clean. Roman matrons can walk their dogs in the Monti quarter without maneuvering in streams of strangers. Amsterdammers managed to get used to the smell of urine in the nooks and crannies around Leidseplein. Residents of Barcelona's Barri Gothic can once again hang their laundry on ropes across the streets without fear of it being stolen as a souvenir.

Overtourism damages the landscape, destroys beaches, puts a huge strain on infrastructure and deprives residents of access to the real estate market

And officials and urban planners had time to think about how to reduce the negative side effect of overtourism while preserving the economy. Methods such as introducing tax restrictions and banning the use of Booking and Airbnb systems (which have already been practiced in Barcelona) are a blow to small businesses and a violation of the rights of property owners. And few travelers too.

A more difficult, but justified way is to encourage hoteliers to invest in preserving heritage and eco-technology, redistributing tourist flows, developing new resorts, encouraging a style of rest that does not harm nature.

The managers of the World Bank believe that the pandemic will allow to reconsider the attitude towards tourism and put it on the rails of GRID - an ecological, sustainable, inclusive approach to development. Key players in the hospitality industry — Marriott, Hilton, Intercontinental (IHG), Hyatt, Wyndham, Radisson and others — have joined the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance group. In 2020, SHA published several reports with practical recommendations for hoteliers as well as developers on how to make businesses and hotels themselves sustainable.

In addition to general recommendations, SHA provides specific examples in its brochures: Hersha Hospitality Trust (investor of Marriott International, Hilton Hotels, Hyatt Hotels, Intercontinental Hotel Group, Hersha's Independent Hotel Collection) is renovating former bank or administrative buildings, turning them into hotels, and also saves $14 million per year, using recycled water for washing.

 

Green strokes

If a developer barbarically invades a protected area and builds a luxury hotel, along the way draining a swamp with bird nests or cutting down old trees, it is a bad story that can destroy the business. A great way to ruin a reputation is to destroy a historic building to build a modern one.

People who have experienced an existential crisis (and many have taken the pandemic as such) have become even more receptive to all things caring for nature and heritage. Therefore, conscious hoteliers accept the challenge and make their business more and more eco-friendly.

A towel rack in the bathroom is a gentle hint that a towel can be used twice. The "cleaning on demand" option allows you to save water on daily laundry. Other markers that the hotel supports the paradigm of sustainability: bicycle rental for guests; lack of lawns in the landscaping that require mowing; shampoo and soap dispensers; dispensers on jars with sugar and spices in canteens; use of natural and recycled materials in interior and exterior decoration; an on-site organic farm that supplies fresh vegetables and herbs for the kitchen.

What was once perceived by snobs as a "desire to save" and was in no way included in the concept of "luxury", today is a manifestation of awareness and a desire to support global trends.

A difficult but justified way is to encourage hoteliers to invest in preserving heritage and eco-technologies, redistributing tourist flows, developing new resorts

Back in 2008, Wen Yi Chang, founder of the Gaia Napa Valley Hotel and Spa, America's first LEED Gold Certified hotel, shared with colleagues that going green doesn't really require a giant additional investment. "During the design of the chain's first hotel, costs for green elements amounted to 12 to 15%. During the development of the Gaia Anderson Hotel, environmental costs were reduced to 5-6%. And during the construction of the Gaia Merced Hotel, it was only 2-3%," said Wen Yi Chang.

Today, solar electric systems, maximizing natural light in every room, passive heating and cooling strategies, preserving shade trees to reduce heat islands in parking lots, high-efficiency insulation, HVAC systems, ozone purification systems, dual-flush toilets are no longer an option. "a substantial part of the technical task that customers present to designers and builders.

 

Eco Luxury: clay and gold

As soon as the vaccination process against the coronavirus infection became widespread, dozens of new luxury hotels announced the start/resumption of bookings. Here are some high-profile discoveries.

From August 4, the Canadian 1 Hotel Toronto will start receiving guests. Marketers added the prefix "eco" to the mandatory definition of "luxury", and 1 Hotel Toronto enters the market, positioning itself as an eco luxury hotel. It is not for nothing that the founder of the hotel brand Barry Sternlicht, the chairman and chief executive officer of Starwood Capital Group, the investor Mark Scheinberg of Mohari Hospitality, as well as the architect and designer David Rockwell are called visionaries focused on nature.

"We've long been passionate about sustainability and sustainability, and we're thrilled to have the opportunity to design the new 1 Hotel Toronto with a biophilic focus," said David Rockwell, founder and president of Rockwell Group.

In addition to biophilic interior design, 1 Hotel Toronto can boast purely suburban attributes. An organic composter will process all the waste left by guests into fertilizer, which is then used to feed the plants on the hotel grounds and in the surrounding parks. Hotels for bees will be placed in cozy places on the roof and terraces. This, by the way, is not such a new idea - previously, houses for pollinators appeared at the Fairmont Royal York and the Shangri-La Hotel. Bee protection is a very popular topic in Toronto and Canada in general.

Despite the fact that the Danish authorities are still quite strict about entry into the country, Petter Stordalen - the "king of hotels" of all Scandinavia, charismatic and environmentalist - announced the opening of reservations for guests of his new hotel Villa Copenhagen next to the Tivoli Gardens in the Danish capital. Villa Copenhagen, part of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, is an independent project of Nordic Hotels & Resorts, designed to demonstrate to the world the group's commitment to the principles of environmental sustainability.

The renovation and transformation of the historic Central Post Office building into a 390-room luxury hotel lasted more than four years and cost $275 million. The main changes are a swimming pool and restaurants on the roof, as well as an openwork structure made of metal and glass, which transformed the courtyard, which used to be sorted mail, to the impressive atrium. Massive marble columns, stucco ceilings, oak stairs, facade with a neo-baroque tower were preserved.

The British studio Universal Design Studio was engaged in the design, and in order to make the interiors diverse, Stordalen invited several design companies at once. For example, Earth Studio developed a completely ecological suite, in the decoration of which only recycled materials are used; the design of the lounge in the atrium and several suites was done by the designers of the Shambala Jewels jewelry brand; bars and restaurants — the Epicurean company; environmentally friendly furniture is a product of the Danish manufacturer Mater Design.

Despite the substantial amount of investment, the cost of a night at Villa Copenhagen is quite affordable — from $220. "It is impossible to create such a unique atmosphere from scratch - only by reviving a forgotten landmark," Stordalen believes.

By the way, the pandemic did not prevent Petter Stordalen from adding new hotels to the Nordic Choice Hotels collection. In July, he bought the "pearl by the sea" - the Scandic Maritim hotel in the Norwegian town of Heugesunn on very favorable terms for the former owners. This is how the tycoon keeps the national tourism industry afloat. Norway's Storting also pays hoteliers significant compensation for downtime during the lockdown.

"Atmosphere cannot be created from scratch - only by reviving a forgotten landmark" - Petter Stordalen

From now on, the most luxurious hotel on the Pacific coast of Mexico is the new One&Only Mandarina. A series of adobe bungalows and treehouses are immersed in lush tropical greenery. The location on the hill opens up wonderful views of the lagoon. Handmade textiles, earthenware, vases made of blown glass — all these are products of local craftsmen.

People come here for close contact with protected nature and chef Enrique Olver's cuisine. However, for extroverts and socialites, there is a shared beach with infinity pools and a pier for yacht parking. The price of the room starts from $900 per night.

Phone blocking, kombucha tincture instead of Coca-Cola - at his new hotel Es Racó d'Artà in Majorca in the Levant Natural Park, architect and designer Antoni Esteva promises that just a few days spent in an environment of rustic minimalism will have a beneficial effect on health and will turn guests into supporters of eco-values.

It is far from the sea, but the pool, wine from our own vineyards, vegetables from our garden and olive oil pressed from the harvest collected in the local olive grove - all this creates a unique atmosphere, which today is in demand no less, if not more, than chic , neon and bathing in champagne. And only $630 per night.

A few days spent in the atmosphere of rural minimalism will have a beneficial effect on health and will turn guests into supporters of eco-values

“People are no longer looking for marble bathrooms and gold-plated faucets, instead they are looking for something simple. They are still attracted to a fire around which you can sit and talk," says Teresa Untertiner, manager of an eco-hotel in South Tyrol, which was created on the site of an abandoned sanatorium at the beginning of the XNUMXth century. And indeed, one of the features of Forestis is gatherings around the fire after an evening meal of pickled pine shoots, dumplings with nettles and organic cocktails with the addition of needles and bark.

And yet, eco-trends do not cancel the passion for royal chic. And sometimes they are successfully integrated into the traditional Luxury Resort concept. And the topic of preservation and renovation of heritage is part of the same sustainability strategy.

In mid-summer, the Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts chain opened Matild Palace in Budapest. Matilda Palace is one of the most beautiful Belle Époque buildings in the city on the Danube. Specialists of the MKV Design studio have been working on the restoration and renovation of the interior spaces of the UNESCO World Heritage site for the past five years.

The premises of the hotel are decorated with historical photographs, artifacts from the Habsburg era, Zholnai porcelain and furnished with handmade Hungarian furniture. Art Nouveau design is combined with baroque architecture and modern art.

Hotels allow you to try on a different way of life: a lazy person, a person of royal blood, a spiritual seeker

"This hotel allows our guests to live out the fantasy of living in a royal palace, equipped with modern amenities and impeccable service," said Candice D'Cruz, vice president of Marriott International.

A month earlier, the Hotel Airelles Château de Versailles opened in the Palace of Versailles, the first hotel on the territory of the complex, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List and the Association of European Royal Residences. The complex of three buildings, Le Grand Contrôle, located in the entrance area of ​​the palace, was built in 1681 by Jules Ardouin-Mansard for Paul de Beauvilliers, duc de Saint-Aignan, and was bought during the Sun King era to house the Ministry of Finance. In the 2004th century Le Grand Contrôle was handed over to the army, until XNUMX it housed the mess hall for officers, by which time the buildings had fallen into serious disrepair.

The French government decided to turn the former dining room into an expensive hotel and gave the complex a concession to LOV GROUP. Architect and designer Christoph Tollemer, who specializes in creating premium-class objects, was commissioned to develop the project. His task was to create a "time capsule", conveying the spirit of the era of the Bourbon dynasty

Eco-trends do not cancel the passion for royal chic. And sometimes they are successfully integrated into the traditional concept

The hotel rooms were furnished with antique furniture, decorated with works of art and artifacts of the 35th century. The wooden carved panels were executed according to sketches of the same era, and the textile supplier was the Pierre Frey factory and the Royal Manufacture in Aubusson. All modern gadgets and equipment were carefully camouflaged, which also required considerable skill. Reconstruction of the building and interior design cost a round sum exceeding XNUMX million euros.

Modern hotels don't just provide us with a roof and a bed in between sightseeing. They allow you to try on a different way of life: a rich idler, a person of royal blood, a spiritual seeker or a hermit. Changing your lifestyle is also a kind of journey.

 

New old places

In Forbes' latest ranking of the 50 best post-pandemic travel destinations, you will hardly find the world's most popular resorts. Mainly, it is a collection of rather sparsely populated places with expressive nature or quiet towns with authentic culture, where you can reduce the level of stress that people have been under due to COVID-19. Greek Crete and Santorini, Guyana, Costa Rica, Shetland Islands, Vietnam, Indonesia. Hello province!

An exception to this rule is the recommendation to go to Cairo, where the Grand Egyptian Museum, designed by the Irish studio Heneghan Peng Architects, is about to open to visitors after 15 years of construction. But, as we found out, the process of completing works on the facility worth more than $1 billion has been delayed again.

This time — due to the completion of archaeological excavations near the walls of the Cheops pyramid and the transfer of the pharaoh's funeral boat to museum curators. And although Tutankhamun's collection, which is to become the heart of the Great Egyptian Museum, is still unavailable as of July, visitors to the Pyramids of Giza can satisfy their passion for history at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, where 22 mummies of ancient kings and queens were ceremonially moved in April.

It must be explained that Egyptian development in the shadow of the historical pyramids is traditionally slow. The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, designed by local architect El-Gazzali Kosseiba, also opened only 35 years after construction began. Therefore, 15 is a completely uncritical term for the object, which was designed by Heneghan Peng Architects, in the words of architect Shi-Fu Peng, as "a rock, a stone wall that separates the mountains and the desert or life and death."

However, it is unlikely that the long-awaited opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum can be called an architectural event. Since 2009, the architects have had no influence on the progress of the works, are deprived of the opportunity to exercise authorial control, and, as reported in a recent interview, only know that the initial design has undergone significant changes.

"For now, tourists are shown the pavilion that is being built for the pharaoh's funeral boat, and are told that the opening will take place after the pandemic, because it is difficult to call a ceremony where VIPs are standing at a distance from each other and wearing masks a holiday," says Oksana Hryshina, a Ukrainian correspondent of the Interfax agency, which visited Giza as part of an information tour. — Last, quarantine year, museums were opened in Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada, and there you can see impressive collections.

Egypt's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Khaled Al-Anani, said that in the previous three years, more than 20 museums had been opened and more than 80 archaeological sites had been restored across the country, including Cairo. In general, more than $1,5 billion has been invested in the museum program from the state budget over the past five years, plus targeted grants from international organizations."

If you wait another year, the trip to Qatar will be even more impressive. They are preparing to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup there

A lot has been done, but in front of the Giza Valley, tourists are greeted by a car dump and dusty frames. They create the same sense of decay as the faded desert around the pyramids and the Sphinx. Perhaps local officials simply haven't gotten their hands on the landfill yet, as Egypt's willingness to implement ambitious projects is beyond doubt: building a city in the desert and turning it into a garden is exactly what the government is doing now.

On the fields of the famous tank battles of the Second World War, next to the Mediterranean resort of El Alamein, a new city is being built, designed for 6 million inhabitants. With only one specialization — tourism. Investments amount to about $60 billion.

"The climate here is much milder than in Egypt in general, and the sea and the beach are obscenely wonderful," Oksana Hryshina shares her impressions. — But the existing El Alamein is a very expensive resort. Will New Alamein offer a holiday at prices comparable to Egypt's Red Sea resorts, or compete with the Maldives and Nice? Let's see. So far, the scale of construction is impressive, but it is too early to talk about impressive architecture."

Another architectural magnet from the Forbes list is the National Museum of Qatar by Jean Nouvel in Doha. "Desert Rose" opened in mid-2019, and within a few months Qatar closed its borders. So now there is a chance to discover the architectural masterpiece and its exhibits. But if you wait another year, the trip to Qatar will be even more impressive. They are preparing to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup there, and dozens of grand infrastructural facilities are being built for this event. The Qatari authorities also announced the opening of 105 new hotels. Wow!

 

Attractions and parks

Today's attractions are a hybrid of architecture and infrastructure, their benefits often go beyond the entertainment function, and the objects themselves go beyond the theme parks. So the London Eye, the creation of architects David Marks and Julia Barfield, became an integral part of the London skyline. Just like Thomas Heatherwick's Wessel Tower is a magnet of New York's Hudson Yards and a destination for thousands of tourists.

In July 2021, a new tourist attraction, Deep Dive Dubai, opened in Dubai. The world's deepest diving pool should attract no fewer guests than the famous Burj Khalifa. The indoor pool, which holds 14 million liters of fresh water, equivalent to six Olympic-sized swimming pools, offers truly velvet all-season conditions for divers. The water temperature is maintained at 30 degrees so that swimmers do not have to wear wetsuits. The safety of diving is monitored by dozens of instructors and video cameras.

The director of the new attraction was the famous diver Jarrod Jablonsky, but in the very process of physical implementation of the project, Dubai did without "legionary star architects". The construction was carried out by the local company Binladin Contracting Group, which has 50 years of experience working on complex infrastructure facilities in the UAE. The appearance of the building was inspired by the shell of the Pinctada sea mollusk, the shells of which form pearls of rare shades in the warm waters of the Persian Gulf. This is a reference to the traditional UAE pearl fishery.

So that diving into a 60-meter well does not turn into a purely technical exercise, the team of designers created at the depths the scenery of a sunken city with residential and office spaces, streets filled with urban detritus: lampposts, shopping carts, bicycles, billboards, ATMs, garbage cans and other attributes of everyday life in the metropolis.

The opening of Deep Dive Dubai took place in parallel with the opening of the pavilions of the world exhibition EXPO 2020, postponed for a year due to quarantine. Read more about this in Tatyana Kolchanova's article "Expo 2020 Dubai: a guide to the world exhibition".

Today's attractions are a hybrid of architecture and infrastructure, their benefits often go beyond entertainment, and the objects themselves go beyond theme parks.

And in the south of Turkey, between the resort villages of Fethiye and Oludeniz, at the beginning of the summer, an object was opened that can turn the region into a world center of paragliding. A lift to Mount Babadag was opened here, which has long been popular with paragliders because of the exceptionally convenient conditions for this sport and the ability to make long flights over turquoise bays and picturesque beaches.

There was only one problem: in order to raise paragliders and people to its top (1700 m), they had to be transported by a complex serpentine, which collapsed, which was more dangerous than the flights themselves. The construction of the cable car lasted for 25 years - during this time, 20 governors changed in the region, and 25 relevant ministers in the Turkish government. But already in June, the Fethiye Ölüdeniz Babadağ Teleferik cable car started operating, and now the ascent time in modern and safe cabins is only 16 minutes.

The cable car is not only a sports facility — it is an important infrastructure facility that connects a number of new tourist facilities. Restaurants have been built at the intermediate and final stations, there is an amphitheater for cultural events and many viewing platforms from which you can admire the flight of colorful wings against the blue lagoon of Oludeniz. The airstrips allow several paragliders to be launched at the same time, which makes Babadag a convenient place for holding international competitions.

Kanatka will operate all 12 months, which will allow hotels in the region to switch from a seasonal schedule to a year-round schedule. Investments in the project amounted to $43 million, but there is no doubt in Turkey that income from tourism will very quickly compensate for all costs. This optimism is indirectly confirmed by the fact that, despite the pandemic, smaller infrastructure projects were not frozen in the region.

New hotels and restaurants are opening in Fethiye, and the multi-kilometer promenade along the beaches is being completed and arranged. Just before the pandemic, a new city park appeared in the town, named after the first pilot of the Turkish Air Force, Fethiye Bey.

It was created according to all the canons of modern placemaking — in this sense, it can be considered an encyclopedic example: many paths and bike paths intertwining with each other, pergolas that protect from the sun, ponds, streams and marsh recreation, gazebos with a set of books to read, skate - park, stadium, playgrounds, open theater, many benches scattered throughout the territory. The plants, which in the hot climate in the first years require careful care, have not yet had time to come into force, but even now the park has a decent appearance.

 

Relax while staying put?

Is physical displacement a considerable distance from a large city a necessary condition for escapism? At the same time that traditional resorts are looking for an opportunity to approach the image of a sustainable and successful post-industrial city, to move away from seasonal employment and not depend on the whims of people and anxious politicians, big cities are trying on the resort style.

In an effort to make human life more comfortable, urban planners study books on resort and valeology, turn to the typology of resorts, trying to integrate the components of their infrastructure into the fabric of ordinary working cities. The reason is not in progressive hedonism or the specter of a "golden age" that is coming, but in the urgent need to resist an aggressive environment and daily stress. If we don't learn to rest, we will simply burn out.

Trying to make a person's life more comfortable, urbanists study books on resort and valeology, refer to the typology of resorts

Traditionally, it was believed that the main resource of the resort is the unique natural qualities of the place: healing springs, comfortable beaches, healing mountain air, etc. It is around these qualities that an infrastructure focused on them is created. In an ordinary city of the industrial age, the natural resource necessary for recovery and treatment was absent. But to the extent that large-scale industry and harmful productions are driven out of the city, modern urbanists are increasingly asking the question: "What if we search?".

PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA has repeatedly written about how big cities clean and reclaim rivers, how post-industrial areas are turned into parks. As one of the speakers rightly observed in an interview published in the 32nd volume of PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA: "It is necessary to create oases».

Oases are spacious and multifunctional city parks where you can spend a whole day with your family. These are city pools and organized beach areas for practicing what is called urban river swimming in the world. These are technology parks designed according to the "city within a city" principle. These are urban farms. In recent years, Ukrainian developers are increasingly turning to the urban village and urban villa typologies. We previously wrote about this trend in detail in the article "Urban Village: The Best of Different Worlds» in the 30th volume of PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA.

Adherents of the "city villa" typology emphasize that the economy of space - the main argument of the supporters of high-rise buildings - is actually misleading. Most of the people living on floors want to get a second home — a private house closer to nature. And the implementation of their plans ultimately leads to the growth of suburbs. But the owners of city villas are quite satisfied with their place of residence.

But do you believe that, having arranged the most comfortable conditions for everyday life, a modern person is able to be satisfied with this? Nomadism is in our blood. Even if the new lockdown closes the borders again, cancels all festivals and concerts, closes all hotels, the passion for travel will break through the bans, just like how Merman Art's plywood man emerges from the stone cobblestones near the Arch of Friendship of Peoples in the center of Kyiv.

As the TV presenter of one of the central Ukrainian TV channels Anastasia Daugule aptly noted: "This is a manifesto of overcoming: to surface and move." It is very similar to the manifesto of a whole generation.

 

/The material is published on the pages #33 volume PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA/