Tomaso Clavarino - Bye Bye Land

Tomaso’s on-going photographic essay “Bye Bye Land” is a stunning visual survey of the rapid urbanization taking place in the Jordanian capital of Amman. Whilst, Amman has been historically regarded as the major city of the East Bank, it passed the first decades of this century not as a modern city, but as a provincial trading centre characterized by its rural and nomadic cultures. It wasn’t until 1946, that Amman, with its new position as capital of Jordan, expanded into the booming, overcrowded urban centre it is today. Within recent years, Amman’s rapid population growth and continuous influx of refugees from nearby war-torn countries has gone through unprecedented growth, reaching a current estimate of 4 million inhabitants, with 50% of agricultural land being reconverted into urban areas. In a rapidly modernizing and industrializing area, Tomaso notes that the city’s expansion has been both abrupt and chaotic, leaving behind old cement, scarce green areas, inadequate infrastructures and almost deserted neighbourhoods. Moreover, impulsive developments has led Amman to become the most expensive city in the Middle East, surpassing Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha. And yet, the city’s urbanization still doesn’t live up to its inhabitants’ expectations in terms of livability, breathability, and transportability. With that said, Tomaso’s high-contrast photos, tell a “Tale of Two Cities”– a story of Amman’s unsustainable modernization, social stratification and urban segregation.

- Alexa Fahlman

---

“The irony is that there is increasing modernization going in in a city where entire neighbourhoods receive water only once a week. This modernization is taking away the only few resources still available to the population. Jordan, in fact, is one of the most water-scarce countries worldwide. According to the UN, with fewer water reserves and no changes in the development system, the country will run out of water by 2025.”

“Those living in poor and older neighbourhoods are unhappy with the situation due to the lack of resources, skyrocketing prices and limited infrastructures such as aqueducts. Of course all these issue have been exacerbated by recent urbanization, especially the lack of resources: more houses, means more water, more energy, and less soil for agriculture.” 

“From what I've seen I think that these development will lead to a wider gap between the rich and poor, and without a real investment plan for infrastructures, I don't know what the future of urbanization will look like…but I can’t imagine it will be sustainable.”