Layo Bright

This thesis examines the processes and negotiations that go into the creation of new landscapes of consumption and production. Landscape here refers to the spaces produced through the need of surplus capital to be invested in fixed and human assets. Their forms derive from cycles of valorization and devalorization, land speculation, and profit maximization. They are produced for a new ascendant class born out of the most recent labor force restructuring. In order to examine this phenomenon, we are looking at the Domino Sugar Factory, a large-scale luxury redevelopment project. It's a manifestation of the creation of these new landscapes, packaged through provisions like affordable housing and open space in neighborhoods of established communities. By situating this project within the growing trend of public-private partnerships, we are questioning the mechanisms of creating "public" spaces as a way to make participatory and democratic acts possible.