OAIA 2025 Conference: Infrastructure, the Environment & Society

Building the society of the future will mean maximizing outcomes and minimizing impacts on the environment and people. It will mean consulting and cooperating in good faith with Indigenous communities and peoples in order to obtain their free and informed consent prior to the approval of any project affecting their lands or territories and other resources. It will mean learning from past errors that might have negatively impacted health and socio-economic conditions, as well as the biophysical environment. Modern infrastructure projects should create partnership opportunities with Indigenous communities, build communities with vibrant and non-digital human connectivity, and involve early engagement and trusted relationships