Activating Resources

Uyuni, Bolivia, 2012

Can lithium make a city? In his master thesis at ETH Zurich in 2012, Luis Hilti proposed the urbanisation of Uyuni, at the edge of the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, as the development strategy itself, with lithium as a tool rather than a purpose. Five special development zones, each run by a consortium of corporations, universities and NGOs, place their factories inside the city and build its water supply, power, waste management and education. A subway comes before the city it serves.

Urban Design · Atelier Gapont