Paro, Thimphu, Punakha

SUBJECT & CONTEXT

I was in Bhutan when the Gelephu International Airport broke ground, one of the first visible steps toward the Gelephu Mindfulness City. I wasn’t at the ceremony, but it was hard to miss what the moment meant: a bold attempt to architect a carbon-negative, economically vibrant special administrative region rooted in Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness model. This is Bhutan operationalising its values at scale, a country that is positioning as a frontier for what a post-growth economy might look like. And I believe this is not just an interesting development project, it’s instructive.

Fujifilm X100V, 35mm.