Contested/Connected: A Case Study for Collaborative Design

Abstract

The historic expansion of transportation infrastructure in the United States has often been at the expense of minoritypopulations. This thesis explores a new approach that centers a collaborative approach and shapes the built environment around the new construction of a major Light Rail Station. The Link Light Rail project for Sound Transit, is an opportunity to work with the Puyallup Tribe of Indians on the first major light rail on reservation land in the United States. This study delves into how local governments and Indigenous tribes can collaborate on infrastructure projects to achieve mutual goals and enhance self-determination and social equity. It analyzes historical impacts of infrastructure development on Native American Populations and uses a holistic perspective on the potentials for this project. In this paper I propose a framework for successful collaboration on large infrastructure projects, ensuring benefits for all parties (Puyallup Tribe of Indians, Sound Transit, City of Fife) through shared goal identification and defining intentional principles for decision making. By examining intergovernmental relationships and shared goals, it proposes comprehensive strategies for contemporary planning and policymaking, specifically in the context of the Fife Link Light Rail Station, that can be an examples for other similar Infrastructure projects.