Abstract:

The rapidly changing nature of transportation, telecommunications, and energy infrastructure globally, in part a response to climate change, has led to an increased urgency for innovative solutions in sustainable systems. Moreover, the historical environmental injustices within public infrastructure predicate wider participation in drafting new plans, such that past mistakes are not repeated. The methodology for engaging inclusive and integral partners in sustainable infrastructure model building to advance sustainable, equitable transportation and energy systems remains nascent. Our United States (U.S.)-based exploratory study uses qualitative methods of data collection and analysis, drawing on cross-sectional, semi-structured, in-depth interviews with current academics and practitioners (N?=?14) from a U.S. National Science Foundation-funded workshop. Our study investigates their experiences and perspectives with broader integral partner collaboration within sustainability planning for Tennessee Valley Authority, a historic public works program that encompasses some of the most economically and socially distressed parts of the U.S. Results converged on three themes that speak to perpetuating infrastructure injustice within systems of energy, telecommunications, and transportation: (1) the intersection of place-based and information inequities, (2) economic inequity, and (3) differing positionalities that drive mistrust and uncertainty; and one theme that spoke to overcoming injustices ? the necessity of transformative integral partner engagement versus broader participatory processes. Our findings illustrate the readiness of businesses, organizations, and government entities to engage in a transformative process with community members and integral partners to advance sustainable systems. Moreover, we explore participants? unique experiences and perspectives on the barriers and highlight possible solutions to creating sustainable infrastructure in partnership with integral partners.