What is to be the largest copper mine in the world, is being constructed in the south of the Gobi desert, a 2hr flight from Ulan Bator, Mongolia.
The resultant ‘boom town’ architecture and placemaking has not started haphazardly, but rather with high level professional insight, investigation, and extensive experience in the planning of towns which allow for the ‘overnight’ migration of people towards employment. One wonders what, if any, the impact on the social structure of the towns’ future inhabitants will be. Also, with all the preparation and anticipation of need, is an ‘informal’ aspect to the development of the town at all avoidable? It seems unlikely, but perhaps the nomadic nature of the Mongolian people with their migration to the countryside for the summers and the perfected ‘yirt’ (pronounced ‘ger’) home structures which fit onto the roof racks of a car and can be dismantled and reconstructed the same day, provides the Mongolian people with the tools and resilience to the effects such a boom?
shack urbanity 