In the first episode of Season 3 of Getting Closure,” host Mike O’Kane sits down with LDI founder and chair, Gord McKenna, to characterize the first four principles of landform design.

O’Kane and McKenna describe what it means to “keep the land in mind” and how to create a vision for reclaimed land, which depends heavily on establishing trust between the mine, shareholders, and Indigenous peoples. They discuss next how to establish “governance” and assembling a multi-disciplinary team with a lead designer.

The conversation turns next to the development of the Design Basis Memorandum, guidance for which the LDI will be releasing this fall. A DBM sets out the vision for a particular project, large or small, and develops the goals, objectives, and design criteria to achieve that vision. Last, they talk about working collaboratively and embracing co-reclamation. Landscapes must be built with users, not for them.