Abstract

Mining settlements and sites, established during the XIXth century, are a key testimony of industrial revolution in the world. As such, they are increasingly being valued as a particular type of industrial heritage, and promoted as tourist attractions. Particularly in Europe and the US, many sites have been turned into ‘open mining museums’, ‘ecomuseums’ or cultural parks, thus recognizing the value of its physical remains, the importance of a particular cultural landscape, and local identity among mining communities. Advocators of this trend have promoted mining tourism, as a way to revert dramatic economic decay and environmental problems, in the post-mining era. In spite of this enthusiasm, several questions remain to be answered; such as: 1. What should be the role of public agencies, the local community and in general the civil society, in this shift from mining, to cultural tourism and heritage preservation? Eg. Who should be the new manager of the buildings and sites, after the mining company departures? 2. What kind of urban processes, planning policies and tools, should be used in order to achieve sustainable touristic reuse of mining heritage? 3. And finally, how can local participation be a central aspect of urban change? Using the case of the former coal mining settlements of Lota and Coronel, at the south of Chile, the presentation addresses these issues and proposes: a set of steps for a sustainable cultural and touristic reuse of mining heritage.