The Almost Unbelievable Story of Rajeeshpuram

Rajneeshpuram was a town in Northern Oregon in the early 1980's. Its story involves an Indian Guru, the reclamation of forgotten land, parallels to Jonestown (Yes the Cult with the Cool-Aid), the co-founder of Nike - Bill Bowerman, the 'take-over' of a small town,  zoning disputes, an Islamic terrorist attack, national attention, multiple lawsuits, an attempted suicide of a town, a young life religious camp, and the largest bio-terrorist attack in the history of the United States. Its story is as complicated as it is unique and would require class-periods of discussion. Instead, I would recommend the Netflix series 'Wild Wild Country' or, at a minimum, a read of its Wikipedia article.

You are probably wondering, "Chris, how does this relate to the politics of enclosure systems?" Well, interested reader, the town of Rajneeshpuram began as the followers of the Indian Guru The Bhagwam purchased an old ranch in Northern Oregon. The land was unusable and forgotten. The residents worked tirelessly to create their vision of their town. From the ground up these people designed, built, and occupied their 'oasis' in the mountains of Oregon. To me, one of the most interested parts of the documentary series, was the architecture vision these people had for their town. Design decisions were made along the way, giving their town an intentional appearance. 

Perhaps more interesting is the relationship with the neighboring town of Antelope, Oregon. The residents, a group of largely conservative individuals, feared the impact of this cult-like group. It was if the roles of history had changed. Here, was a town of white people whose existence and way of life was threatened by the incursion of outside people. Slowly and intentionally, the Rajeeshpuram members bought up land in the town, allowing them to have the voting majority in the town. The original town members, feeling threatened, resorted to shows of violence and intimidation, carrying guns around wherever they went. To me this story parallels contemporary issues of zoning and gentrification. As architects we can learn from how we develop