Mining cities and sustainable development

Abstract

Many studies show a connection between mining and sustainable development, however, articles especially focused on mining cities, their challenges and possibilities for sustainable development are limited. This study aims to fill that gap. Mining activity competes with other forms of access and use of a territory’s natural resources, and mining cities are at the center of these disputes. Although there is a profusion of institutions that seek to propose alternatives in the scope of sustainability, the answers do not seem to contain the sharp growth of socio-environmental conflicts. By sharing the benefits of mineral income, mining cities have the unique possibility of promoting their development and reducing dependence on mining. To achieve sustainability, mining cities must create institutional environments of harmonious coexistence between mining and other socioeconomic arrangements. Governance is a milestone for this. But what governance? Many studies suggest that, in addition to social acceptance and “good governance”, to effectively become a crucial sector for development, mining must contribute to the structural transformation of mining cities.