Nadia Shira Cohen

About me

Motel America

Publications

^
  • USA TodayFlorida's poor take up residence in motels

Description

^

The Motel is a concept born out of a burgeoning 1920’s America. As roads were constructed across the country, travel increased and the motel became the solution for the motor traveler. They gained increasing popularity in the 1960’s, synonymous with low budget travel and eventually tourism. On one strip of highway just steps from the Disney theme parks, it’s estimated that at least 500 families are now living in motels. Originally built to support tourism, many of these motels have become home. It’s a precarious environment, in some cases rife with violence and prostitution. High unemployment coupled with one of the worst foreclosure rates in America has, in the end, pushed many families out onto the streets. Children often sustain themselves with junk food, with little privacy or places in which to study. As families have nowhere to go, motel balconies continue to fill up with a life’s worth of belongings, and places like the Remington Inn are redefined as home.

Motel America-1
Built by Emiliano Pallini