Ideas
Regional Authenticity
Are you one of those people whose
dream vacation is ditching the
tourists, eating where the locals eat,
and exploring side streets in search
of an authentic regional experience?
According to tourism officials
and urban planners, it is a natural
reaction to three decades of
globalization – finding the same
stores, restaurants and brand names
wherever you go.11
Restoring regional authenticity and
incorporating it in new development
is the hot trend today in urban
planning, and planners have found
that the natural environment is
every bit as important as the built
environment.12
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What's exciting is that authentic
also means sustainable. Plants
native to Mediterranean climate
zones love it here as much as you
do. They adapted over thousands of
years, and the animal species that
depend on them for food and habitat
adapted, too. There are thousands of
ground covers, grasses, succulents,
perennials, shrubs, vines and trees
to choose from.
