ILLUSTRATION BY CHRISTOPH NIEMANN

A friend of Raxa Collective has a place in this story below, of which we share the first and last paragraph.  It does not matter who, or what role, just that it made us pay particular attention. And it rings true to us. Our work involves “first steps up” in emerging or re-emerging economies, at least those with remarkable patrimony and friendly people. First steps refers to stretching from what opportunities a place offered its community to a set of improved economic conditions (and related outcomes in health, education and other forms of welfare) for locals. We believe that what we do for a living is “a good place to start,” for many places:

In 1958, Laurance Rockefeller threw an inaugural party for Dorado Beach, his luxury resort on the northern coast of Puerto Rico. The guests included millionaires, politicians, and movie stars.In the years that followed, Dorado became the most glamorous resort in the Caribbean, attracting everyone from Ava Gardner to John F. Kennedy. But, as time passed, resorts on other islands lured high-end travellers away, and Dorado eventually became a charming relic. In 2006, it closed. History had passed it by…

…Tourism isn’t a panacea. And it’s not as buzzy or cool as the app economy. But if you want to reinvent the Puerto Rican economy it’s a good place to start. This won’t be an easy task: when you neglect an industry for years, it erodes the skill and knowledge base of workers and managers alike. But Puerto Rico is increasing its marketing push and improving its infrastructure. The main airport is in the middle of a huge makeover, and there’s been a mini-boom in luxury hotels. Dorado Beach is once again the site of an opulent resort, an ultra-luxury Ritz-Carlton property that cost more than three hundred million dollars to build. Puerto Rico seems to be reappearing on the map. The question is whether this time it can stay there.

Read the whole article here.