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Urban planning as a shared resource is tied with the 'tragedy of the commons'. Since UN-Habitat III, Ecuador has embraced the opportunity for urban sustainability. However, while the right to the city is constitutionally anchored since 2008, the integration of strategic sectoral plans and their spatial link remains unclear. Aiming at a better understanding on how sectoral plans, particularly mining, are articulated to planning instruments, we reviewed the existing instruments as well as those from the mining sector. Rooted in qualitative methods, interviews were conducted with respondents involved in the development of underground and land use planning in Ecuador. Primary data were collected during fieldtrips, and policy analysis was carried out descriptively. Findings were differentiated by spatial planning instruments, underground mining concessions and their implications for the empirical case study of Zaruma. Results showed that mining companies capture their risks and externalities into the local development agenda, and that municipalities remain limited to corrective or reactive measures. While mining sectoral plans consider the relevance of local development plans (PDOT), we identify an instrumental vacuum across the whole 'National Decentralized particularly

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This study assesses the feasibility of reusing tailings from a gold mining area in southern Ecuador in concrete block (CB) manufacturing. For this purpose, physical, chemical, and mineralogical analyses were performed to characterize the tailings. Furthermore, the tailing samples were subjected to the European Standard EN 12457-2 leaching test to assess the potential risk of releasing toxic elements (PTE) into the environment. The CBs were made conventionally and replaced 50% and 70% of the sand with tailings. Lastly, mechanical resistance tests (MRTs) were performed to evaluate the indirect tensile strength, compressive strength, and absorption. The study results show that tailings are feasible as a substitute for sand in manufacturing CBs. Furthermore, the leaching tests complied with the set limit for non-hazardous mining wastes. Regarding the MRT, the CBs made with 50% of tailings were the ones that gave the most favorable results; however, the compressive strength and absorption did not comply with the regulations. In this regard, making CBs with less than 50% tailings is recommended to evaluate their mechanical properties. This study offers an alternative for recycling tailings and contributing to the circular economy.