Paisea #012

Présentation de l'éditeur :

Deep in the midst of an economic and social crisis that shows no sign of abating, we at paisea wish to add our voice to all of those that are, increasingly, demanding a different model of life, and this issue, devoted to the 'low cost' concept, is a reflection of this. These pages show us how necessary, positive and imaginative the 'low cost' phenomenon is, and dispute the associations made by society – especially with regard to airlines – between low prices, low quality and low levels of comfort.

The different projects, interventions, articles and reflections in this issue aim to show the different kinds of quality offered by the low cost phenomenon. From the purely economic, through interventions with a budget of 20 € per square metre, to the so-called conceptual low cost phenomenon, represented by projects that use minimal, subtle interventions to improve the landscape they form part of. Other aspects that should not be forgotten are the reduced use of natural resources and increase in renewable energies, as well as the promotion of autochthonous plant species with lower maintenance costs and better adaptation to the environment.

As a counterpoint, an interesting reflection is included in the form of an article which describes a complex method that aims to give us an indication of the economic value of landscapes.

A special mention is required for a series of projects whose significance, quantity and condition can be seen here: transient or temporary interventions, and interventions with a markedly social content in their objectives. These proposals, most of which are not graphically represented in an orthodox fashion, have been brought together in two independent reports within this issue.

Also, aiming to stay faithful to the philosophy of our review, we feature a different competition, which is taking place now with a great social and media impact; the focus is on the workings and organisation of the competition itself rather than on the results obtained by participants.

The aim of publishing projects and works of this nature, especially in these times of crisis, is to bring to the forefront those interventions that, with a limited budget for their execution, use imagination and reason to reinvent our landscapes; to highlight interventions which emerge from the shadows of multi-million projects (which are not always brilliant) to show us that there is another way to work on landscape.