Preserving Paradise

"Preserving Paradise" explores the competing narratives that inform patterns of suburban development, focusing on the particular story of Arroyo Sorrento and the surrounding Carmel Valley area in North San Diego County. Twenty-five years ago, Arroyo Sorrento was a rural haven, now older bungalows are overshadowed by multimillion dollar cookie-cutter estates. Interweaving personal narrative and extensive interviews, humor, advertising and technical reports, this project gives voice to the competing ideals of the good life informing the struggle over the future of the area, from environmentalists' efforts to preserve the last coastal mesa in the county that boasts the most endangered species in the continental US, to developers' desires to maximize return on investments, while promising to meet the needs of consumers and offer environmentally friendly construction, to a master plan that envisions low income housing, public transportation and commercial centers, to new residents fearful of anything that will lower property values.

Below is a selection of a series of post cards giving voice to some of the perspectives explored in this work. Move curser over the image to read text on the back. Use arrows to navigate.

To read the text you may need to lower browser resolution to 800 x 600.