Architecture of Trust: Reconnecting Environmental Assessment with Indigenou

ID: 2209

Presenting Author: Daniela Castañeda Russo

Session: 749 - Engaging Indigenous Nations for Inclusive Impact Assessments and Misinformation Response

Status: pending


Summary Statement

Architecture as a bridge to restore trust and integrate Indigenous wisdom, promoting cultural heritage and ecological values.


Abstract

In the Atacama Desert, one of the driest and most mining-intensive regions on Earth, the Lickan-Antay communities are confronted with increasing tensions stemming from urban expansion, mining activity and the loss of connection to ancestral lands. In Calama, known as 'the city of copper and sun', water has become a symbol of conflict: selling water rights is like selling indigenous identity. That which should unite divides.

In this context, communication challenges and the lack of cultural integration have affected public perception of environmental assessment, weakening trust in institutions. This work proposes an interdisciplinary approach that links architecture with environmental assessment, exploring ways in which territorial design can communicate ecological and cultural values in an inclusive and meaningful way. Inspired by the ayllus and their traditional practices, it promotes the integration of community sites with ancestral flora and local materials, reflecting the indigenous worldview and its sym


Author Bio

Architect specialized in sustainable design, territory, and communities.


Coauthor 1: Angélica Briones

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