en.Wedoany.com Reported - At the First International Forum on Uranium and Lithium (I Foro Internacional de Uranio y Litio), Peru's Ministry of Housing, Construction and Sanitation (MVCS) and the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM) jointly proposed transforming mining enclaves into smart cities to resolve the "enclave paradox" of resource abundance coupled with local underdevelopment, thereby promoting national sustainable development.
The forum focused on land governance in mining regions, with the core objective of overcoming the contradiction between abundant underground mineral wealth and surface-level poverty. The meeting noted that scientifically sound urban planning is a prerequisite for responsibly developing resources such as lithium and uranium.
In a keynote speech titled "Smart Cities in Mining Environments: Land Management and Forward-Looking Urban Planning for Lithium and Uranium Development" (Ciudades inteligentes en entornos mineros: acondicionamiento territorial y planificación urbana prospectiva para el desarrollo del litio y uranio), architect Jean Paul Kaiser proposed a modular, industrialized approach to urban planning. This model advocates for flexible mining settlements with demountable infrastructure to better adapt to economic and social changes, ensuring their continued utility beyond the lifecycle of mining projects.
José Antonio Cerrón, Director General of Housing and Urban Policy and Regulations, emphasized that effective implementation of this model requires establishing robust land governance mechanisms that transcend short-term government mandates. He pointed out the necessity of developing land management plans incorporating citizen participation and multi-level coordination to achieve sustainable and rational planning under the impact of resource extraction. Furthermore, good urban conditions are key to the safe coexistence of residential and mining areas, ensuring public safety and providing stable expectations for private investment.
The forum systematically outlined Peru's challenges in housing and urban planning, clearly identifying the need to leverage revenues from lithium and uranium resource development to promote the construction of sustainable, democratic, and resilient cities and settlements.
