17/03/2025
"Divergent Tales" is a photographic project developed as part of "3Rs for a Sustainable Use of Natural Resources in Ulaanbaatar" (3R4UB), funded by the European SWITCH-Asia program and coordinated by the Institute for Research on Innovation and Services for Development (Cnr Iriss) of the National Research Council of Italy.
The photographic project is the work of Francesco Sammarco, an urban planner and photographer, currently a PhD candidate in Urban Planning at the Department of Architecture at the University of Naples Federico II and member of the Cnr-Iriss research group involved in the 3R4UB project. His research focuses on the integration of GIS, photography, and territorial planning to analyze and critically represent territories in transition. This interdisciplinary approach is at the core of his photographic investigation, which has recently been featured by Urbanautica, Journal of Visual Anthropology and Cultural Landscapes.
Through Divergent Tales, Sammarco explores the profound impact of Mongolia’s rapid economic development, particularly in its capital, Ulaanbaatar (UB). Home to nearly half of the nation’s population (3.398 million), UB exists as a dual city—the formal "city of stone" and the informal "city of gher". These two settlements function within vastly different socio-environmental ecosystems, particularly in terms of waste management services, and both are undergoing significant social and economic transformations.
The series juxtaposes two contrasting realities: the semi-nomadic lifestyle of rural communities, characterized by resource reuse and sustainability, and the escalating challenges of waste mismanagement in UB’s peripheral areas. This dual narrative highlights the environmental and social paradoxes of a city balancing tradition and modernity while facing deep structural challenges.
At a time when the world is striving for climate neutrality by 2050, this exhibition serves as a powerful visual reflection on the urgent need to redefine policies and decision-making processes for managing environmental, social, and cultural resources. By blending spatial analysis, documentary photography, and urban research, Divergent Tales offers a compelling perspective on the hidden complexities of urban transformation, contributing to broader discussions on sustainable urban development within the framework of the 3R4UB research project and Cnr-Iriss initiatives.
Per informazioni:
Francesco Sammarco
CNR - Istituto di Ricerca su Innovazione e Servizi per lo Sviluppo
francescostefano.sammarco@unina.it
Vedi anche: