When Territory Is Misunderstood: The Rooi Example
What looks like unused land is often not empty at all. It performs functions that only become visible once they are disrupted.
A green corridor is cleared. Condominiums rise. And then — where does the water go?
What happened
In a residential neighborhood in Aruba, what once appeared to be an undeveloped green corridor was cleared to make way for condominium development. At ground level, the transformation was striking: exposed soil, removed vegetation, and a flattened, prepared surface where natural terrain once absorbed water and supported plant life.
Seen in isolation, this might appear to be a straightforward development decision — converting "unused" land into economic value. But when viewed from above, the same space tells a different story.
Image 1
[Ground-level view of cleared land — to be uploaded]
Ground-level view of cleared land: visible removal of vegetation, exposed soil layers, and altered terrain indicating preparation for development.
What was actually there
What looked like empty land was, in reality, structured by function. The irregular, non-linear shape was not accidental — it followed the path of a rooi: a natural rainwater channel that becomes active during heavy rainfall. These channels are a defining feature of Aruba's drainage geography, directing water away from residential areas during the island's intense but infrequent rain events.
Mapping overlays reveal how the corridor connected to a broader drainage system within the surrounding neighborhood — not just a strip of green, but a piece of hydrological infrastructure.
Image 2
[Satellite imagery showing green corridor before development — to be uploaded]
Satellite imagery showing the same area before development: a continuous green corridor with an irregular shape, distinct from surrounding urban blocks.
Image 3
[Map overlay showing rooi network — to be uploaded]
Map overlay highlighting the rooi corridor as part of a wider hydrological system connecting surrounding areas.
The questions this raises
Where does the water go now?
Which areas absorb the increased pressure during heavy rainfall?
What happens when ecological infrastructure is replaced without fully accounting for its function?
Who is responsible for assessing these impacts before development approval?
The bigger picture
This shift — from green corridor to development site — is not just a physical transformation. It is a redefinition of space. And it illustrates the argument made by geographer Alba Millán: sustainability cannot be evaluated within the boundaries of a single project. It must be understood within the broader territorial system in which that project operates.
Henri Lefebvre's concept of the "production of space" is directly relevant here. Economic systems actively shape how territory is organized, who can access it, and how it is valued. Tourism in Aruba is not just part of the territory — it is one of the primary forces shaping it.
When accumulated decisions remove ecological infrastructure, the consequences don't announce themselves immediately. They emerge slowly — in flooding patterns, in drainage failures, in the subtle changes to how a neighborhood functions after heavy rain.
Theoretical grounding
Lefebvre, H. (1991). The Production of Space. Blackwell.
Harvey, D. (2008). The Right to the City. New Left Review, 53, 23–40.
Massey, D. (2005). For Space. Sage Publications.
Stankey, G. H. et al. (1985). The Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) System for Wilderness Planning. U.S. Forest Service.