Drone Photo Award Winner Reveals Spains Failed Housing Developments

Markel Redondo’s award-winning photography series Sand Castles (part II) captures the immense failure of Spain’s housing developments. Shot using a DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone, the DJI Drone Photography Award winner has created a compelling record of 12 abandoned developments.
In 2007, Spain’s real estate bubble burst with astronomical consequences. Due to bad loans worth billions and exploitative developers, the country was hit exceptionally hard, leaving approximately 3.4 million new homes empty. Today, 11 years on, those homes are still abandoned, becoming a symbol of the European economic crisis.
‘There is definitely an apocalyptic feeling to it, it is as if you are the last inhabitant in the world,’ says Markel Redondo of the subject matter in remote southern Spain that has captivated him for the past eight years. The photographer first travelled to these ‘modern ruins’ to document them in 2010.

‘Sand Castles (part II)’ by Markel Redondo winner of the DJI Drone Photography Award

Redondo returned this year to retrace his footsteps and capture the desolate landscape, littered with these ghost towns, in the hope that his photographs would highlight the economic challenges Spain still faces: ‘We live in a society with huge housing issues, where many cannot afford a place to live, yet Spain has more than three million empty homes,’ says the photographer.
He went on: ‘It is important to understand that this is not an isolated problem; it is something that has happened systematically across Spain. We need to ask why this is still happening and how we are going to fix the problem.’

From detailed shots of roundabouts and roads to vistas of the unfathomable scale of deserted houses, Redondo’s series, aptly titled Sand Castles (part II) is a beautiful yet bleak reminder of the impact of financial crises.
Want to see more photography? Here are the photo shows you can’t miss in London.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.