Powerful shifting

Arabianbusiness.com is revealing an interesting real estate project in Saudi Arabia: Armani branded houses to open in Dirijah. What you can see on the picture is an impression of traditional desert town houses built in extremely compact construction of a labyrinth,  in the color of sand one, two or three floors and open roof terrace.  Let´s think about the following aspects (without knowing the project in detail that might be completely perfect):

1. Armani is an italian luxury brand. If we play on words and don´t set limits to the language it could be "arm" and "ani", and the interpretation is free. That the interpretation is free is a main problem in such wordplays, because existing inequalities in society might lead people to feel embarrassed. Why? Such town houses in the desert, build of sand or a similar material, are normally not considered as luxury homes, on the contrary, no water supply, no electricity, and if there is electricity you produce it with a  power generator. And no air-conditioning. People living in such towns had to be helped by development or foreign aid because they were seen as underdeveloped - and poor (the german word "arm" means "poor"). So we combine "poor" with "lucury":with the Armani brand. Means: No one is poor, Armani is interested in such houses and considers them as worthy to enter the luxury class. No furniture, maybe, no luxury is the new luxury. Sure, but is it possible to close the gap and to leave the comfort of the middle class out?  Even if people do not consider themselves as "poor" living in traditional desert houses they can get a feeling of beeing pushed back, because they do not feel tthat they are taken for serious.with what they can offer. The aspect of aid is still present when Armani arrives in these places. 

2. Why is this a problem? Because this stories of luxury branded houses enter a complex community and lives with own rules, laws and hierarchies. We have local presidents, commanders, wealthy persons in the environment of these towns seen as wealthy in their communities, persons considered as wise and so on, a complex society with its own abundance. This structures might be moved, some others are shifted and change the existing balance. 

3. You could say that this is not a problem but a chance, because people were asked it they would agree, and local authorities are well embedded and everyone is happy and gets richer and more respected. Why should we disturb with "negative" analysis? It is a problem if people are seen as willing objects to implement an idea of maybe huge economical interest while the citizens are to remain in subjection of these projects, even if they develop.

4. What else? Let´s ask why some existing offers on the market seem to be shifted in a way that the offers are ignored and dislocated to, e.g., the saudi desert where they are developed in a way they maybe could not in the place of origin. An example are the well known 1-euro-house projects in Italy. Italian municipalities offered to pay (!) for individuals who were ready to move to the ancient italian towns to restore an traditional run-down-house because they want to save their communities. These municipalities are open for any idea, even if you arrive from Saudi Arabia to present a project for, e.g. a holiday resort in the old town in the old structures and walls. No one says that the saudi desert inhabitants should not get Armani, but why shift the project to a more important, more beautiful maybe, more economical affair when you could to the same at the place of origin where Armani would be welcome because the aspect of development is redundant? The italian municipalities and governments insist on applying their rules of traditional housing, but a lot of interpretation is possible. It might be easier to take just an impression and idea and to develop it elsewhere where less laws and hurdles are implemented. 

5. After all, if this analysis is not taken for serious, kind of a Joseqh (a figure from the Holy Bible) in the desert fallen into the water source not able to find his way out without being helped, a voice from an underdeveloped space, seemingly jealous and greedy, a hopeless situation nobody wants to deal with, if this analysis is just a maybe welcome voice but wiped away soon because the saudi desert is calling just close the site and go on. 

foto update: 11:30

Last uppdate: 12:59