Uruguay metropolitan and land-use planning developments

Uruguay has entered a period of significant territorial and land-use restructuring. The process began with the Ministry of Housing and Territorial Planning (MVOT) launching its first metropolitan planning review in 15 years. This initiative, led by the National Directorate of Territorial Planning (DINOT), focuses on four pillars: green infrastructure, mobility, metropolitan rurality, and governance, aiming to manage territories that cross administrative boundaries.

This planning effort has encountered political and legal friction. National Party mayors have called for the withdrawal of Decree 128/026, which imposes stricter requirements for soil type transformation. The Rocha Intendencia has formally appealed the decree, claiming it exceeds legal authority and infringes on departmental autonomy.

In Montevideo, tensions have surfaced regarding urbanization in the environmentally sensitive Bañados de Carrasco. The municipal government suspended a proposal to recategorize soil for a 3,000-unit housing project, opting instead for a year-long evaluation of the area’s environmental and territorial impacts.