Tourism Development Along Mexico’s Caribbean Coast:
A Sustainable Community Prototype for Tulum
location: Tulum | Quintana Roo | México
client: Municipio de Tulum
project type: Master’s Report
scope: Present three community prototypes that celebrate and protect the costal area of Tulum – its aesthetic, ecology, heritage, and culture, and to create opportunities for economic growth and a sustainable and prosperous future.
abstract: The world is shaped by the positive and negative impacts of tourism. From the host to the visitor, people and their environments are in one way or another influenced by tourism. Globalization and the popularity of Mexico’s Caribbean coast have encouraged governments to allow excessive physical development as a means to improve local economies, without first protecting the environment, people and heritage.
This project focuses on the conceptual design of a coastal community prototype for the Municipality of Tulum, located in Quintana Roo, México on Mexico’s Caribbean coast. It proposes a village design that celebrates Tulum’s culture and aesthetic, while protecting its environment and diversifying its economy for long-term prosperity. The concept includes coastal preservation strategies coordinated with development that is shaped into dense walkable nodes surrounded by preserved open space. Design inspiration was drawn from the town and region, and a variety of theories and design strategies were reviewed. Three prototypes are presented, each planned with a different density and design scenario, yet all three represent the same sustainable development principles and maintain similar design elements. This project is intended to guide future tourism development in Tulum – development that is shaped for and by the community, in cooperation with developers and governments. This document may also serve as a guide for other communities to plan for a more prosperous future, free of threats to their culture and environment.
complete: May 2010
client: Municipio de Tulum
project type: Master’s Report
scope: Present three community prototypes that celebrate and protect the costal area of Tulum – its aesthetic, ecology, heritage, and culture, and to create opportunities for economic growth and a sustainable and prosperous future.
abstract: The world is shaped by the positive and negative impacts of tourism. From the host to the visitor, people and their environments are in one way or another influenced by tourism. Globalization and the popularity of Mexico’s Caribbean coast have encouraged governments to allow excessive physical development as a means to improve local economies, without first protecting the environment, people and heritage.
This project focuses on the conceptual design of a coastal community prototype for the Municipality of Tulum, located in Quintana Roo, México on Mexico’s Caribbean coast. It proposes a village design that celebrates Tulum’s culture and aesthetic, while protecting its environment and diversifying its economy for long-term prosperity. The concept includes coastal preservation strategies coordinated with development that is shaped into dense walkable nodes surrounded by preserved open space. Design inspiration was drawn from the town and region, and a variety of theories and design strategies were reviewed. Three prototypes are presented, each planned with a different density and design scenario, yet all three represent the same sustainable development principles and maintain similar design elements. This project is intended to guide future tourism development in Tulum – development that is shaped for and by the community, in cooperation with developers and governments. This document may also serve as a guide for other communities to plan for a more prosperous future, free of threats to their culture and environment.
complete: May 2010