6th Session 2017
Case From India, New Delhi: The third airport project in the National Capital Region
Source: Vatsa, Aditi. “Taking flight: Jewar International airport project receives Civil Aviation Ministry’s green light”. The Indian Express. July 3, 2017
In late June of 2017, a full sixteen years after the idea was first floated, a site for an international airport outside Delhi was given in-principle clearance by the Indian government’s Ministry of Civil Aviation. This airport at Jewar is set to be a rather large airport, handling 30-50 million commuters per year through a total of four runways, and according to various sources, will take either 3000, 5000, or 10,000 hectares (30-100 km2
).
Case From Kenya: Violent evictions of the Masai in the name of protecting wildlife to support elite tourism
Laikipia County, a few hours’ drive north of Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, is a microcosm of many of these complicated issues. On this one rugged plateau, poor herders, rich landowners, large- and small-scale farmers, commercial cattle ranchers, tour operators, passionate wildlife activists, elephants, lions, hyenas, cows, goats and zebras are all competing for the same space.
Case From Italy, Venice: Fake tourist rentals on the Island of Pellestrina, Venice
Pellestrina has a population of 5,000 and four main villages: Portosecco, San Pietro in Proprio and Pellestrina. The lure of easy money here has led to an increasingly invasive, unsustainable form of tourism and speculation, which is gradually emptying out homes that were previously always inhabited by locals.
Case From Sri Lanka: Land Grabbing for Tourism Development, Panaama Village
In August 2010, a group of armed people evicted 350 families from Paanama and burnt their houses and belongings. Several villagers were injured. Later the villagers found out that the land was intended to be used for a tourism development. The evicted villagers resisted the land grab and founded an organization. Several protests against the land grab took place and several court cases were filed. In February 2015, the cabinet of ministers decided to release the land. However, the land was never handed back to the villagers. In March 2016, the villagers took matters into their own hands and occupied their land. They constructed temporary huts and started to cultivate their land.
Case From Argentina, Buenos Aires: Evictions and gentrification in the historic and tourist neighbourhood La Boca
The neighbourhood of La Boca, located in the south of the City of Buenos Aires, has a cultural uniqueness and tourist attractions recognised at an international level. Over the last few years the community has suffered increasing forced eviction processes.