As cities grow, so do the need for more real estate. But what happens if it hampers a spectacular view such as Mount Fuji for example?
A debate at the Young Writers' Club
Grand Maison Fujimidori stands in front of the magnificent Mount Fuji. It is a condo that is nearing completion. In an utterly surprising turn of events, the builders, Sekisui House, have volunteered to demolish the building as they have come to realize that the building disrupts the spectacular view of Mount Fuji!
The local residents have been opposing the project and a couple of years ago, the builders even agreed to reduce the number of floors. But things changed when the building was nearly done with only a few finishing touches left. They were able to see the detrimental impact and hence have chosen to demolish the building. This turn of events is flabbergasting at more than one level. Topmost needless to say is the potential monetary loss. However, clearly preserving the gem of Japan is far more important to them than a temporary monetary loss.
Teens at the Young Writers’ Club, debated about allowing any kind of multi storey building that could obstruct the view of something beautiful in nature
Most of the teens were against the decision. Their arguments helped build a comprehensive picture of the matter. We spoke about tourism, the benefits that it can deliver to the economy, the increase in congestion in the area, how many more buildings could follow and so on. The subject of demographics also came about. Considering that significant percentage of the population is aging, the need for immigrants to keep the economy going in terms of growth of industry was emphasized. Hence giving a spectacular residence facing Mount Fuji was said to be a good incentive to bring in more immigrants.
While those seem imperative from a growth standpoint, the heritage and culture of the place cannot be ignored. There are several temples located close to the mountain. There is a sense of calm which has already been disrupted thanks to the continuous inflow of tourists who often leave huge garbage piles in their wake.
It is possible that the arguments against and in favor listed above might have come up for discussion in meetings held to arrive at a decision about Grand Maison Fujimidori. However, it seems like ultimately, the builders have an affinity to the mountain and its beauty. Anything that impacts it is incorrect. In this case it so happens that they are the cause. Hence, the decision to bring the building down. Question is why did it take so long for them to realize? Didn’t the local residents protest already? They knew that the view would be impacted. So why not the builders?
The teens were able to bring to the table varied experiences, information that they had gather either by reading or by watching news in the media thus enabling each other to look at the matter from multiple perspectives. Visual pollution as the name suggests is an issue across the world. It takes a lot to consider against building something that could seriously hamper the look of a place. Bottomline of the discussion is to emphasize that there is always more than what we can see. News from different sources bring more information to form new perspectives. At times it is impossible for a single individual to combine all perspectives. It needs a team with different strengths and interests to come together as it occurred at the Young Writers' Club.
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