Uruguay will identify and renovate empty homes for the market

By Roy Rodriquez

Empty homes Uruguay is the focus of the new strategy of the Ministry of Housing and Territorial Planning (MVOT) to boost the real estate market and combat the deterioration of urban centers. Through the creation of the Urban Circular Economy Laboratory, the portfolio seeks to detect properties that are uninhabited and in a state of degradation to reform them and return them to the housing circuit. This initiative, which begins with a pilot phase in cities of Minas and Bull Pass, aims to address a historical problem of emptying in areas that already have all the necessary infrastructure and services.

The director of Territorial Planning, Paola Florio, explained that this instrument will allow scaling solutions to promote development and access to land, following the goals set in the Five-Year Housing Plan. The ministerial diagnosis detected that, paradoxically, cities with population or industrial growth maintain a high percentage of dilapidated or unoccupied houses in their central areas. The objective is for these assets to stop being a “black hole” in the urban fabric and become real solutions for families and young people looking for their first home.

Strategies to reintegrate Empty homes Uruguay to the market

State intervention within the framework of Empty homes Uruguay It will not be limited only to identification, but will include powerful legal tools such as expropriation, the right of first refusal and specific rehabilitation programs. In Minas, for example, the arrival of the headquarters of the Technological University (UTEC) generated a demand for young housing that today does not find sufficient supply in the center, despite the existence of abandoned registers. By recovering these properties, the public investment already made in sanitation, lighting and transportation is optimized.

On the other hand, in Bull Pass, the influence of UPM's second pulp mill transformed the territory, but failed to solve the problem of housing vacancy. The laboratory will cross-reference data from the latest population censuses to determine if a home is vacant temporarily, occasionally, for repairs, or if it is in a dilapidated state. With this information, the MVOT will be able to adapt current regulations and generate programs that encourage owners to put their assets in good condition or, ultimately, allow the State to intervene to ensure compliance with the regulation. social function of property.

AI and drones: The new “territorial police”

Accompanying the recovery of urban properties, the Ministry will implement a land supervision system through artificial intelligence and drones. This project, called “territorial police”, will initially operate in Villa Serrana (Lavalleja) and in rural areas of Canelones. The system will process aerial images to detect variations in the ground between one flight and another, identifying irregular constructions or human interventions that do not comply with current regulations.

The leader highlighted that the use of drones is essential for difficult-to-access areas where in-person supervision is complex. Artificial intelligence will make it possible to discern whether the detected changes mean a problem for territorial planning or whether they adjust to development plans. This technology seeks to ensure that the growth of tourist and rural towns is orderly and respects natural resources, avoiding land fragmentation without planning.

A model of urban efficiency

This circular economy approach applied to urban planning aims to demonstrate that the articulation of existing programs can generate more efficient cities. It is not just about building new units in the peripheries, but about taking advantage of what already exists and is wasted. The intention of the MVOT is to generate both demand and supply of goods appropriate to current needs, allowing private and public investment to focus on areas that already have urban life, thus reducing the costs of city expansion.

With the start of these pilot tests, Uruguay is at the forefront in the use of data and technology to solve the housing deficit. If the results in Minas and Paso de los Toros are positive, the Urban Circular Economy Laboratory will be extended to other departments, allowing thousands of currently disused properties to once again fulfill the purpose for which they were built: to provide shelter and security to Uruguayans.