Tourism, Architectural Development and Spatial Perceptions of Land Use along Adriatic Coastlines

Tourism and architectural development are embedded in the physical and social geography of the Istrian peninsula, influencing contemporary visual identities and cultural perceptions of land use in the region. Therefore, if tourism is promoted as a central strategy for economic growth in Croatia, what complex and contradictory spatial effects and social considerations may manifest within built environments? How does foreign direct investment in new real estate markets and construction of new upmarket resort architecture enhance privatisation of Adriatic coastal topography? In addition, how may these locations contrast with the controlled density, site and composition of existing architecture and recreational zones built during the era of the Yugoslavian republics? Consequently, how is global tourism affecting physical environments and local culture along regional coastlines, and for whom does structural development exist?

In April 2014, as part of ETNOFILm - Ethnographic Museum of Istria, a three-day workshop took place in Rovinj utilising urban photography and participatory research methods to explore these questions and themes along the city's coastline. Participants were introduced to practical, theoretical, aesthetic and ethical considerations that surround visual practice and urban research. Also group activities and discussions considered how visual anthropological issues, narratives and urban photography could link and place local cultural specificities, environmental concerns, spatial planning and sustainable development within global debates about tourism. Furthermore, the group of architects, artists, journalists and photographers investigated established spatial codes, leisure / cultural activities, social routines and encounters between people and architecture with photography. Thus, identifying relationships between ocular identity, economic activity, social investment in tourism and urbanisation in Rovinj that is influencing structural development on the Istrian peninsula and Croatia' s coastlines.

In April, the outcomes of last year’s ETNOFILm workshop form part of the 2015 festival. Site-specific interventions, a publication and roundtable discussion at Rovinj Heritage Museum aim to encourage public participation in discussions about visual perceptions of land use, spatial planning and sustainable development, social inclusion and exclusion, environmental concerns, architectural heritage and redevelopment in Rovinj, Croatia.