Pictures of 'Paradise': Understanding Perspectives of Development in the Community of North Kohala

Abstract

The arguments communities articulate in development disputes usually hide their more intangible interests, like quality of life and respect for the land. In addition, communities are not homogenous entities with only one interests. Understanding how different people within a community understand their local environment and the threats that development can bring may help bring an appreciation of values that exist outside the legal framework. This may be essential in constructing cooperation between the different stakeholders in a conflict. This particular study focuses on the North Kohala region of the Big Island of Hawaiʻi, which is a community with people from various ethnic backgrounds and whose experiences in the region vary significantly. This thesis seeks to understand how communities respond to the threat of development by looking at how members of a community use their sense of place to frame development projects, and how these frames shape arguments and strategies.