BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Sabre//Sabre VObject 4.5.8//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Europe/Zurich X-LIC-LOCATION:Europe/Zurich TZURL:http://tzurl.org/zoneinfo/Europe/Zurich BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0200 TZNAME:CEST DTSTART:19810329T020000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=3;BYDAY=-1SU END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0200 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:CET DTSTART:19961027T030000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=10;BYDAY=-1SU END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT UID:news4662@zasb.unibas.ch DTSTAMP;TZID=Europe/Zurich:20251203T155126 DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Zurich:20251010T161500 SUMMARY:Patience Mususa: "Invisible Voices: Planners' Perspectives on Zambi a’s Copperbelt Mining Resurgence" DESCRIPTION:This presentation examines the practices and perspectives of ur ban planners in Zambia's Copperbelt during a period of mining resurgence d riven by the demand for critical minerals. It also considers the challenge s and opportunities they face. This aligns with efforts by resource-rich A frican nations\, such as Zambia\, to develop an industrial manufacturing s ector focused on these minerals. Notably\, there is a joint understanding with the Democratic Republic of the Congo\, a major producer of copper and cobalt\, to create a regional battery minerals value chain. The presentat ion draws on semi-structured interviews with officials from municipal auth orities and regional institutions in Copperbelt towns like Chililabombwe\, Chingola\, Kalulushi\, Kitwe\, Luanshya\, Ndola\, and Mufulira\, as well as ethnographic observations and informal interviews. It explores how urba n planners manage land for mining and industrial purposes\, as well as to meet the needs of Copperbelt residents seeking land for agriculture\, hous ing\, and infrastructure\, especially as residents increasingly are expect ed to meet these needs themselves. It also examines how they address envir onmental issues and promote regional development\, not only within the Cop perbelt but also along transboundary transport links\, such as the propose d Lobito corridor\, which would connect the region to Angola’s Atlantic coast\, and the Tanzania-Zambia railway to the port of Dar es Salaam in Ta nzania. This connects planners' work to African trade integration and the geopolitical interests of the USA and China. The presentation highlights a gap in urban governance studies in Africa\, particularly regarding extens ive research on the Zambian Copperbelt. While such research has enriched o ur understanding of civic engagement\, life in mining towns\, and mining-d riven urbanisation\, it has less systematically examined the practices and viewpoints of city officials and administrators. It underscores the vital yet often overlooked role of practitioners in implementing industrial pol icies and regional development\, emphasising the importance of technical e xpertise and cross-sector collaboration\, and how these elements interact at the intersection of local and global politics.\\r\\nPatience Mususa is an environmental anthropologist with a background in architecture\, develo pment practice\, and anthropology specialising in mining and human settlem ent and working at the intersections of research\, policy and practice. In her research on the Zambian Copperbelt she discusses copper mining towns\ , planning and urbanization\, and community welfare. Mususa earned her PhD in Anthropology at the University of Cape Town. Today\, she is a senior r esearcher at the Nordic Africa Institute in Uppsala. X-ALT-DESC:

This presentation examines the practices and perspectives of urban planners in Zambia's Copperbelt during a period of mining resurgence driven by the demand for critical minerals. It also considers the challen ges and opportunities they face. This aligns with efforts by resource-rich African nations\, such as Zambia\, to develop an industrial manufacturing sector focused on these minerals. Notably\, there is a joint understandin g with the Democratic Republic of the Congo\, a major producer of copper a nd cobalt\, to create a regional battery minerals value chain. The present ation draws on semi-structured interviews with officials from municipal au thorities and regional institutions in Copperbelt towns like Chililabombwe \, Chingola\, Kalulushi\, Kitwe\, Luanshya\, Ndola\, and Mufulira\, as wel l as ethnographic observations and informal interviews. It explores how ur ban planners manage land for mining and industrial purposes\, as well as t o meet the needs of Copperbelt residents seeking land for agriculture\, ho using\, and infrastructure\, especially as residents increasingly are expe cted to meet these needs themselves. It also examines how they address env ironmental issues and promote regional development\, not only within the C opperbelt but also along transboundary transport links\, such as the propo sed Lobito corridor\, which would connect the region to Angola’s Atlanti c coast\, and the Tanzania-Zambia railway to the port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. This connects planners' work to African trade integration and th e geopolitical interests of the USA and China. The presentation highlights a gap in urban governance studies in Africa\, particularly regarding exte nsive research on the Zambian Copperbelt. While such research has enriched our understanding of civic engagement\, life in mining towns\, and mining -driven urbanisation\, it has less systematically examined the practices a nd viewpoints of city officials and administrators. It underscores the vit al yet often overlooked role of practitioners in implementing industrial p olicies and regional development\, emphasising the importance of technical expertise and cross-sector collaboration\, and how these elements interac t at the intersection of local and global politics.

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Patien ce Mususa is an environmental anthropologist with a background in architecture\, development practice\, and anthropology specialising in mi ning and human settlement and working at the intersections of research\, p olicy and practice. In her research on the Zambian Copperbelt she discusse s copper mining towns\, planning and urbanization\, and community welfare. Mususa earned her PhD in Anthropology at the University of Cape Town. Tod ay\, she is a senior researcher at the Nordic Africa Institute in Uppsala.

DTEND;TZID=Europe/Zurich:20251010T180000 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR