R

Regenerative Development and renewable energy, in which materials flow in

Design safe, regenerative, closed-loop cycles,” and
which “identifies three key design principles
Pamela Mang1 and Bill Reed2 in the intelligence of natural systems, which
1
Regenesis Group, Santa Fe, NM, USA can inform human design: Waste Equals Food;
2
Regenesis Group, Arlington, MA, USA Use Current Solar Income; Celebrate Diver-
sity” [2, 3]
Article Outline Ecoliteracy The ability to understand the natural
systems that make life on earth possible, includ-
Definition of Regenerative Design and Its ing understanding the principles of organization
Importance of ecological communities (i.e., ecosystems)
Introduction and using those principles for creating sustain-
Regenerative Development and Design: able human communities [4, 5].
Redefining Sustainability Ecological sustainability A biocentric school of
Overview: Ecological Sustainability and sustainability thinking that, based on ecology
Regenerative Development and Design and living systems principles, focuses on “the
Regenerative Approaches to Sustainable capacity of ecosystems to maintain their essen-
Development and Design: Key Framework tial functions and processes, and retain their
Premises and Methods Overview biodiversity in full measure over the long-
Future Directions term”; contrasts with technological sustainabil-
Bibliography ity based on technical and engineering
approaches to sustainability [4].
Ecology The interdisciplinary scientific study of
the living conditions of organisms in interac-
Glossary tion with each other and with the surroundings,
organic as well as inorganic.
Biomimicry Sometimes called biomimetic Ecosystem concept “A coherent framework for
design; an emerging design discipline that redesigning our landscapes, buildings, cities,
looks to nature for sustainable design and systems of energy, water, food,
solutions [1]. manufacturing and waste” through “the effec-
Cradle-to-cradle Framework for designing tive adaptation to and integration with nature’s
manufacturing processes “powered by processes.” It has been used more to shape an
approach than as a scientific theory [6, 7].
# Springer Science+Business Media LLC 2018
R.A. Meyers (ed.), Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2493-6_303-3
2 Regenerative Development and Design

Ecosystem “The interactive system of living wholes (i.e., generate anew their inherent
things and their non-living habitat” [6]. capacity for vitality, viability, and evolution)
Living systems thinking A thinking technology, rather than deplete their underlying life support
using systemic frameworks and developmental systems and resources.
processes, for consciously improving the Regenerative development A system of devel-
capacity to apply systems thinking to the evo- opmental technologies and strategies that
lution of human or social living systems [8]. works to enhance the ability of living beings
Locational patterns The patterns that depict the to coevolve, so that the planet continues to
distinctive character and potential of a place express its potential for diversity, complexity,
and provide a dynamic mapping for designing and creativity [10] through harmonizing
human structures and systems that align with human activities with the continuing evolution
the living systems of a place. of life on our planet, even as we continue to
Pattern literacy Being able to read, understand, develop our potential as humans. Regenerative
and generate (“write”) appropriate patterns. development provides the framework and
Permaculture A contraction of permanent agri- builds the local capability required to ensure
culture or permanent culture, permaculture regenerative design processes achieve maxi-
was developed as a system for designing eco- mum systemic leverage and support
logical human habitats and food production through time.
systems based on the relationships and pro- Regenesis Collaborative Development
cesses found in natural ecological communi- Group –
ties, and the relationships and adaptations of Restorative design Sometimes called restorative
indigenous peoples to their ecosystems [9]. environmental design; a design system that
Place The unique, multilayered network of eco- combines returning “polluted, degraded or
systems within a geographic region that results damaged sites back to a state of acceptable
from the complex interactions through time of health through human intervention” [12] with
the natural ecology (climate, mineral, and other biophiliac designs that reconnect people to
deposits, soil, vegetation, water, wildlife, etc.) nature.
and culture (distinctive customs, expressions Source to sink Simple linear flows from
of values, economic activities, forms of asso- resource sources (farms, mines, forests, water-
ciation, ideas for education, traditions, etc.) shed, oilfields, etc.) to sinks (air, water, land)
[10, 11]. that deplete global sources and overload/pol-
Regenerate American Heritage Dictionary of lute global sinks [13].
the English Language and Merriam Webster Systems thinking A framework for seeing inter-
Dictionary: • To give new life or energy; to relationships rather than things, and for seeing
revitalize; to bring or come into renewed exis- patterns of change rather than static “snap-
tence; to impart new and more vigorous life • shots.” It addresses phenomena in terms of
To form, construct, or create a new, especially wholeness rather than in terms of parts [5].
in an improved state; to restore to a better,
higher or more worthy state; refreshed or
renewed • To reform spiritually or morally;
to improve moral condition; to invest with a Definition of Regenerative Design and
new and higher spiritual nature • To improve Its Importance
a place or system, especially by making it more
active or successful The emerging field of regenerative development
Regenerative design A system of technologies and design marks a significant evolution in the
and strategies based on an understanding of the concept and application of sustainability. Prac-
inner working of ecosystems that generates tices in sustainable or green design have focused
designs that regenerate socio-ecological primarily on minimizing damage to the
Regenerative Development and Design 3

environment and human health and using description of a utopian city in which man lives
resources more efficiently, in effect, slowing harmoniously with the rest of nature stimulated
down the degradation of earth’s natural systems. the founding of the garden city movement and the
Advocates of a regenerative approach to the built establishment of several Garden Cities in Great
environment believe a much more deeply inte- Britain in the early twentieth century [13, 15].
grated, whole systems approach to the design In 1915, Patrick Geddes published his study of
and construction of buildings and human settle- the urban growth patterns stimulated by the mass
ments (and nearly all other human activities). movement of people into cities [16]. Geddes, a
Regenerative approaches seek not only to biologist, saw cities as living organisms. He
reverse the degeneration of the earth’s natural believed that addressing the problems of
systems, but also to design human systems that unsustainable growth required understanding a
can coevolve with natural systems – evolve in city’s context – the surrounding landscape’s natu-
a way that generates mutual benefits and ral features, processes, and resources – and called
greater overall expression of life and resilience for a solid analytic method for developing that
[10, 11]. The field of regenerative development understanding. His conclusion would influence
and design, which draws inspiration from the self- regional planning movements across Europe and
healing and self-organizing capacities of natural the United States. Geddes applied the terms
living systems, is increasingly seen as a source for Paleotechnic and Neotechnic to distinguish the
achieving this end. industrial era producing this destructive growth
This field is redefining the way that proponents of human settlements from the era he predicted
of sustainability are thinking about and designing would follow its demise. These terms would be
for the built environment, and even the role of picked up by John Tillman Lyle some 80 years
architecture as a field. As an indication of this later to differentiate industrial era and regenera-
growing recognition, in May 2017 the Secretary- tive technologies. Some trace the origins of
General of the Commonwealth of Nations ecological design to the work of Patrick Geddes
(formerly the British Commonwealth), Patricia [7, 13].
Scotland, announced the launch of a Common-
wealth initiative to reverse climate change Development of the Ecosystem Concept and
through regenerative development, noting that Ecological Perspective
“Regenerative development offers ways of tack- In 1935, Arthur Tansley introduced an entirely
ling climate change on a scale and by means that new concept to ecology in his work, “The Use
can be adopted by the most vulnerable countries, and Abuse of Vegetational Concepts and Terms”
and are appropriate to the day-to-day lives and [6]. He proposed the term ecosystem as a name for
livelihoods of their inhabitants” [14]. the interactive system of living things and their
nonliving habitat, and the application of systems
science as a way to bring more scientific rigor to
Introduction the study of nature’s complexity and the effect of
human activities on that complexity. Tansley and
Early Roots of Regenerative Design other organismic biologists of the period were the
In the 1880s, Ebenezer Howard wrote To-mor- first to formulate a systems view of life. Seeking a
row: A Peaceful Path to Social Reform. more accurate depiction of how life ordered and
Re-issued in 1902 as Garden Cities of To-Morrow, organized itself within a particular landscape or
with an introductory essay by Lewis Mumford, geographic location, he posited that neither a liv-
the book was an early and influential expression ing organism nor its physical environment could
of ecological thinking applied to human settle- be thought of as separate entities: “we cannot
ment. It sought to reconnect humans to nature, separate them from their special environment,
and featured use of natural rather than engineered with which they form one physical system.” Two
processes to ensure the health of the system. His of the most significant implications of this
4 Regenerative Development and Design

depiction of how life structures itself was the complex systems cannot be understood through
deconstruction of the human/nature dichotomy simple analysis led to the emergence of systems
that had shaped Western design thinking, and the thinking as a major scientific field, a profound
establishment of the premise that all species are change from the analytic, reductionist mode that
ecologically integrated with each other, as well as had dominated Western scientific thinking since
with the abiotic constituents of their biotope or the time of Descartes, Newton, Galisteo, and
habitat. For Tansley and other ecologists Bacon. GST also laid the basis for the develop-
concerned about the increasing impact of humans ment of living systems science.
on natural systems, the ecosystem offered a valu- In the 1960s and 1970s, Charles Krone, sys-
able framework for analyzing the effect of human tems theorist and architect of organizational pro-
activities on natural systems and resources. In cesses and structures, developed living systems
later years, the concept was further defined or thinking as a developmental technology for con-
clarified to explicitly include a social complex sciously improving systems thinking capacity. His
(human institutions and actions) and a built com- work greatly extended GST and Systematics, a
plex (structures and infrastructures) and became a discipline developed by mathematician John Ben-
framework for sustainable urban planning and nett that uses systemic frameworks to understand
development [17, 18]. complex wholes within which people are partici-
In the 1950s and 1960s, Eugene and Howard pants rather than observers. The systemic frame-
Odum laid the foundation for the development of works and developmental processes Krone
ecology into a modern science, based on the core generated were applied and evolved within busi-
concept of the ecosystem as the fundamental nesses. Their purpose was to create an understand-
ordering structure of nature. They published the ing of businesses, communities, and nature as
first textbook on ecology, The Fundamentals of living systems and to build the consciousness
Ecology, in 1953. Their work brought attention to required to create reciprocally beneficial relation-
the importance of understanding how the earth’s ships through better integration of industrial, com-
ecological systems interact with one another. munity, and natural processes. Krone’s work
Howard Odum further developed a number of served as a core foundation for the emerging
key theoretical concepts and methodologies Regenesis Collaborative Development Group as
including his “energy systems language,” a set they developed and evolved regenerative devel-
of symbols used to compose energy flow dia- opment processes and technologies, starting in the
grams for any scale of system. His study of wet- 1990s [10, 21, 22]. Of particular importance in the
lands pioneered the now widespread approach of evolution of regenerative development was
using wetlands as water quality improvement eco- Krone’s framework depicting four natures of
systems and served as an important contribution work that are essential to any living system’s
to the beginnings of the field of ecological continuing capacity for evolution. The underlying
engineering [19]. premise is that all four “are necessary in order for
an entity to sustain itself in a world that is nested,
New Foundations for Systems Thinking dynamic, complex, interdependent, and evolving”
In 1968, biologist and systems theoretician [10]. The framework defines these different levels
Ludwig von Bertalanffy published his General of work within a hierarchy (Fig. 1) in which work
System Theory: Foundations, Development, at the lower levels focuses on existence (what is
Applications. General systems theory (GST) already manifested), increasing performance, and
introduced the concept of open systems, empha- efficiency. Work at the higher levels is concerned
sized the difference between physical and biolog- with potential (what could be but is not yet
ical systems, and introduced evolutionary manifested), introducing potential for new life
thinking – thinking focused on change, growth, and creativity and advancing the whole. The
and development [20]. GST opened the door to a understanding, aims, and goals developed at the
new science of complexity. The recognition that regenerative level work guide work at the other
Regenerative Development and Design 5

permaculture demonstrated how to provide for a

host of human needs while reducing dependence
on environmentally destructive industrial prac-
tices. While earlier iterations of ecological design
promoted integration of human and natural sys-
tems for more sustainable development, perma-
culture was the first ecological design system to
introduce the concept of a regenerative effect as a
new standard of ecological performance for the
built environment. Peramaculture was based upon
Regenerative Development and Design,
the generation of a surplus or overabundance of
Fig. 1 Levels of work (Reprinted with permission) energy and resources that could be reinvested to
evolve natural and human living systems as an
levels. The framework was utilized as an instru- integrated whole. In support of that goal,
ment for enabling “practitioners to design for the Mollison’s Permaculture: A Designers’ Manual,
integrated evolution of all work” and as “a lens for published in 1988, introduced a hierarchy of
seeing how and where different sustainability investments (regenerative, generative, and degen-
strategies fit and how they can be leveraged erative) as a framework for assessing the value of
when aligned around a regenerative goal” [10]. potential actions for building regenerative capac-
ity in a system [9].
Also in the 1980s, Robert Rodale, son of
Ecological Sustainability: Foundations of organic agriculture pioneer J. I. Rodale, advanced
Regenerative Development and Design the use of the word regenerative in relation to the
In 1969, landscape architect Ian McHarg use of land, calling for going beyond sustainabil-
published Design with Nature, pioneering a tech- ity to “where what we are really doing with the
nology for ecological land-use planning based on American Land is not only producing our food but
understanding natural systems [23]. His book regenerating, improving, reforming to a higher
became a foundational textbook for the ecological level the American landscape and the American
view of urban landscape design, and its basic Spirit” [24]. Rodale used the term to describe the
concepts were later developed into today’s geo- continuing organic renewal of the complex living
graphic information systems (GIS) – a critical tool system that he saw as the basis for healthy soil
for ecological development.
and, in turn, for healthy food and healthy people.
In 1978, Bill Mollison, an Australian ecologist,
He later applied the same principle of ongoing
and one of his students David Holmgren coined
self-renewal to regenerative economic develop-
the word permaculture from a contraction of per-
ment [25]. While his work did not extend to the
manent agriculture or permanent culture. They
built environment, his principles influenced John
developed the field of permaculture as an ecolog-
Tillman Lyle’s work and are foundational for the
ical design system to promote design of human
conceptualization and application of regenerative
habitats and food production systems based on the
methodologies to all of the systems that
relationships and processes found in natural eco-
support life.
logical communities. Much of the inspiration was
In 1984, John Tillman Lyle published Design
drawn from the relationships and adaptations of
of Human Ecosystems [26] in which he argued
indigenous peoples to their ecosystems. Beyond
that “designers must understand ecological order
the integration of human and natural environ-
operating at a variety of scales and link this under-
ments, Mollison and Holmgren developed design
standing to human values if we are to create dura-
technologies and practices for increasingly self-
ble, responsible, beneficial designs.” He defined
sufficient communities and food production sys-
human ecosystems as “places in which human
tems. By creating “man-made ecosystems,”
beings and nature might be brought together
6 Regenerative Development and Design

again” for mutual benefit and posited conscious by the Society of Building Science Educators
ecosystemic design as essential to a sustainable (SBSE) [27]. Their work furthers John Tillman
future. The book introduced several key concepts Lyle’s idea that sustainable design might be
that laid the basis for his subsequent work on merely breaking even, while regenerative design
regenerative design. “Shaping ecosystems, just renews the earth resources. On a larger scale,
like shaping buildings” requires (1) a set of orga- Pliny Fisk’s EcoBalance land use planning and
nizing principles drawn from “strong concepts of design methods employ the principle of life cycles
an underlying order that holds the diverse pieces as a framework for sustaining basic life
and all their hidden relations together”; (2) “these supporting systems, balancing human needs with
underlying concepts of order are drawn from ecol- their ability to enhance the environment, using
ogy,” and principles for ecosystem design “need appropriate technologies for augmenting natural
to comprehend and envision the ecosystem the processes [28].
designer is seeking to shape as a dynamic
(living) whole”; and (3) ecological concepts are Emergence of Regenerative Development and
“more or less analogous to the laws of mechanics Design as Distinct Disciplines
in architecture in that they provide us with orga- In 1994, John Tillman Lyle established the Center
nizing principles for shaping ecosystems much as for Regenerative Design at California State Poly-
architects shape buildings.” technic University, Pomona, to test, demonstrate,
and further evolve the theory and practice of
Ecological Design Systems Proliferate regenerative design. His book Regenerative
The 1990s was a period of intense creative fer- Design for Sustainable Development is the first
ment for ecological design thinking. A number of comprehensive articulation of and handbook for
foundational books were published laying out regenerative design [13]. Written as a practical
both the practical and theoretical bases of design guide to the theory and design of regenerative
for ecological sustainability, including Ecological systems, it laid out the framework, principles,
literacy: Education and the Transition to a Post- and strategies for design aimed at reversing the
modern World by David Orr (1992), From Eco- environmental damage caused by what Lyle
Cities to Living Machines: Principles of Ecologi- called industrial land use practices. The book
cal Design, by Nancy Jack Todd and John Todd reflected the continuing evolution of the thinking
(1993), The Web of Life: A New Scientific Under- he had been pursuing as a landscape architect,
standing of Living Systems by Fritjoff Capra architect, and educator.
(1995), Ecological Design by Sim van der Ryn Deeply concerned about resource depletion
and Stuart Cowan (1996), and The Ecology of and environmental degradation in “the design of
Place: Planning for Environment, Economy, and our twentieth century landscape,” Lyle believed
Community by Timothy Beatley (1997). that at the core of the growing environmental
In 1992, Educator David Orr and physicist crises lay the simplification of living systems
Fritjof Capra coined the term ecological literacy caused by “paleo” design and technologies
(also referred to as ecoliteracy) to describe the (a term he adopted from Patrick Geddes to depict
ability to understand the natural systems that their relative crudity). “Where nature evolved an
make life on earth possible, including understand- ever-varying, endlessly complex network of
ing the principles of organization of ecological unique places adapted to local conditions,” he
communities (i.e., ecosystems) and using those wrote, “. . .humans have designed readily man-
principles for creating sustainable human ageable uniformity.” This creates relatively sim-
communities [4]. ple patterns and forms designed to be easily
Also in the 1990s, new ecological and living replicable anywhere. Most important, in his
system based metrics were introduced, including view, was the replacement of nature’s continual
architect Malcolm Wells’ Wilderness-Based cycling and recycling of materials and energy –
Checklist for Design and Construction, revised processes “core to the earth’s operating system” –
Regenerative Development and Design 7

with one-way linear flows from source to sink. of arenas for a number of years and knew the
“Eventually a one-way system destroys the land- power of this approach. They maintain that devel-
scapes on which it depends,” Lyle observed. “The opment projects needed to be sources of ecologi-
clock is always running and the flows always cal health, even “engines of positive or
approaching the time when they can flow no evolutionary change for the systems into which
more. In its very essence, this is a degenerative they are built” [30] and that the primary drivers of
system, devouring its own sources of sustenance.” unsustainable patterns was not being addressed by
The degenerative patterns caused by these linear, ecological design systems. They saw environmen-
one-way flows, he believed, demanded a funda- tal problems as symptoms of a fractured relation-
mentally different approach that he named regen- ship between people and the living web of nature
erative design. Accordingly, Lyle defined and argued that the core issue was cultural and
regenerative design as the replacement of linear psychological, rather than technological. Like
systems of throughput flows with “cyclical flows Lyle, they believed that addressing this issue
at sources, consumption centers, and sinks.” The required a fundamental transformation in how
resulting systems provide for “continuous humans saw their relationship and role with
replacement, through (their) own functional pro- regard to the planet – moving from the current
cesses, of the energy and materials used in their view of standing apart from and using
operation” [13]. (or protecting) nature to seeing a “co-evolutionary
Lyle died just 4 years after publication of whole, where humans exist in symbiotic relation-
Regenerative Design for Sustainable Develop- ship with the living lands they inhabit” [30].
ment. While he called redesign of the degenerative For regenerative design to take hold and be
systems created by industrial linear flows as the successfully applied, the Regenesis team rea-
“first order of work,” it is clear from the larger soned, a radical shift in thinking and understand-
body of his work and other writings [29] that he ing would be required among design
saw regenerative design as encompassing far professionals, stakeholders, and all the human
more than this basic operational goal, as funda- inhabitants of a place. They proposed the term
mental as it was. While much attention has been regenerative development for the more compre-
given to his models and techniques for designing hensive work of creating the conditions and build-
self-renewing resource and energy flows, Lyle ing the capacities required for achieving this shift,
always saw the heart of his work, and the work with the aim of making development a source of
of regenerative design, as the conscious design of harmonious integration with nature [10, 31, 32].
whole ecosystems. The importance of developing
a different nature of thinking as the basis for Regenerative Development and Design
regenerative design, which was addressed in Emerge as Significant for the Sustainability
introductory chapters of the book, was left with- Movement
out further development. The narrow definition of While awareness and appreciation of regenerative
the term regenerative as simply “self-renewing” approaches to sustainability grew through the
came to define the focus of regenerative design for early 2000s, regenerative development and design
many architects and landscape architects for continued to be largely an edge phenomenon for
decades thereafter. much of the decade. In the following decade,
In 1995, the Regenesis Group was founded and however, a series of initiatives in multiple disci-
began developing the theoretical and technologi- plines began to transform practice toward regen-
cal foundation for regenerative development – erative goals:
enabling human communities to coevolve with
the natural living systems they inhabit, while con- • Regenerative Built Environment and City
tinuously regenerating environments and cultures. Design Studies: In 2010, the World Futures
Regenesis founders had practiced biocentric Council published the first of a series of reports
design, inspired by natural processes, in a variety introducing the concept of Regenerative Cities,
8 Regenerative Development and Design

the result of an International Expert Commis- sustainability managers, permaculturists and

sion on Cities and Climate Change. These community organisers” [37].
reports, followed up by the book “Creating Jason McLennan, founder of Living Build-
Regenerative Cities” by Herbert Girardet, ing Challenge and Living Futures Institute,
launched a multi-pronged effort to promote announced the opening of the School of
the creation of regenerative cities – cities that Regenerative Design in 2017 as “a small, spe-
work to actively improve and regenerate the cialized, interdisciplinary design school that
productive capacity of the ecosystems on focuses on personal transformation, practical
which they depend [33]. knowledge-based internships, grounded in
• Regenerative Approaches to Economy and world-class design and ecological
Business: JPMorgan Managing Director John thinking” [38].
Fullerton founded The Capital Institute in • Regenerative Design to Address Climate
2010, a nonpartisan think-tank dedicated to Change: The annual meeting of High Commis-
developing and promoting regenerative econ- sioners representing Commonwealth countries
omy models. This led to the launch of the Field adopted regenerative development as the Com-
Guide to a Regenerative Economy and the monwealth of Nations strategy for reversing
subsequent white paper, “Regenerative Capi- climate change. Of the strategy, Patricia Scot-
talism: How Universal Principles and Patterns land, Secretary-General of the Common-
Will Shape the New Economy” as a framework wealth, notes: “Firstly, it is saying that it is
for regenerative economies [34]. In 2016, the possible to reverse the human impact of cli-
Regenerative Business Summit was launched mate change by 2050 and secondly it is fram-
to “elevate and enrich the conversation about ing climate change as one of our greatest
regeneration and focus it on innovative enlight- opportunities for innovation and
ened disruption in business and industries” advancement” [39].
[35]. The following spring, London-based
Lush Cosmetics launched the Lush Spring Regenerative Design Publications and Confer-
Prize to support the “regeneration movement ences: By the mid-2010s, a growing number of
through an annual 200,000 pound prize fund” journals, books, and conferences, along with
and “a high-profile annual conference, bring- dozens of videos on regenerative design and
ing people together to share their skills and development, reflect the increasing interest in
experiences in raising awareness of regenera- regeneration as a means of reframing sustainable
tion and its potential” [36]. and green practices. Both Building Research and
• Regenerative Education Initiatives: In 2013, Information journal and the Journal of Clean Pro-
Regenesis launched “The Regenerative Practi- duction published special issues on the theory
tioner,” a blended distance learning series for andpractice of regenerative design and develop-
practitioners interested in integrating regener- ment and the regenerative sustainability paradigm
ative development into their practice. While [40, 41]. Book titles from this period include:
most course participants were initially profes-
sionals within the built environment, the geo- 2010 Urban Regeneration and Social Sustainability:
Best Practice from European Cities [42]
graphic diversity was soon matched by a
2013 Regenerative Sustainable Development of
growing diversity of professions, a reflection Universities and Cities: The Role of Living
of the widening interest in regenerative devel- Laboratories [43]
opment. New Zealand hosted the eighth series 2014 Creating Regenerative Cities [33]
“for business leaders, cultural leaders, design, 2015 The Permaculture City: Regenerative Design for
development, and planning professionals, Urban, Suburban, and Town Resilience [44]
researchers, artists, healers, facilitators, com- (continued)
munity activists, creative entrepreneurs,
Regenerative Development and Design 9

2015 Designing for Hope: Pathways to Regenerative

sustainability, but also to redefine what the built
Sustainability [11] environment encompasses and what its role must
2016 Designing for Regenerative Cultures [45] be. Advocates of a regenerative approach to the
2016 Regenerative Development and Design: a built environment believe that a much more com-
Framework for Evolving Sustainability [10] prehensive, deeply integrated, and whole-systems
2017 The Regenerative Business: Redesign Work, approach is needed. They propose that eco-
Cultivate Human Potential, Achieve
efficient design technologies and strategies must
Extraordinary Outcomes [46]
be integrated within an ecologically based
approach that reverses the degeneration of both
Regenerative Development and Design: the earth’s natural systems and the human systems
Redefining Sustainability that inhabit them. The regenerative methodology
focuses on the development of human settlements
Introduction that partner with natural systems and processes to
Sustainable development and design has been actively regenerate the health of their place as a
described as falling broadly into two streams – whole and the spirit of the people who inhabit it
one primarily technical and engineering based (Fig. 2).
(technological sustainability) and the other based The philosophical and technical foundations
in ecology and living systems principles for regenerative development and design as a
(ecological sustainability) [4, 7]. Green or high- distinctive field within ecological sustainability
performance building, sometimes called eco- were laid in the 1990s, though they draw from
efficient design, emerged out of the first stream, scientific and technological advances reaching
and regenerative development and design out of back into the early part of the last century previ-
the second. Green building, like the conventional ously outlined. Held together by a common phil-
building field before it, defined the built environ- osophical core, regenerative practices extend
ment as “all the structures people have built when beyond the traditional aspects of design to address
considered as separate from the natural environ- a different nature of thinking and interactivity that
ment” (MacMillan Dictionary). Green move- is required to design and engage in a regenerative
ments defined a sustainable built environment as process.
one that is resource efficient and has minimal or While regenerative approaches are attracting
neutral environmental impact. While that defini- growing interest among sustainability design
tion is evolving, the primary aim of green building practitioners, transitioning from green building
continues to be increasing the efficiency of to a regenerative practice has presented a number
energy, water, and material use while reducing of challenges. The holistic and deeply integrated
local and global impacts on the natural nature of the regenerative approach does not lend
environment. itself to a “menu approach” – selecting several
In the past decade, however, the definition of a regenerative technologies without understanding
sustainable built environment is changing rapidly. the underlying principles that assure a regenera-
Sarah Jenkin and Maibritt Pedersen Zari proposed tive outcome. Another challenge is reconciling the
in “Rethinking the Built Environment” that two radically different worldviews shaping tech-
“While aiming for neutral or reduced environmen- nological and ecological sustainability within the
tal impacts in terms of energy, carbon, waste or way one’s practice is carried out. Few architects
water are worthwhile targets, it is becoming clear and engineers are familiar with, let alone trained
that the built environment must go beyond this. It in an ecological paradigm. Yet as David Orr notes:
must have net positive environmental benefits for Ecological problems are in many ways design prob-
the living world” [12]. lems: our cities, cars, houses, and technologies
The rising field of regenerative development often do not fit in the biosphere. Ecological design
and design, which emerged from the ecological requires the ability to comprehend patterns that
connect, which means looking beyond the boxes
stream, is not only leading the charge to redefine
10 Regenerative Development and Design

An Ecology Qualitative
Habitat-People-Buildings-Infrastructure
Pattern thinking
A Whole Living System
Living & Whole systems
ALL IMPROVEMENTS AT ANY OF THESE Effective-doing the right things
STAGES ARE IMPORTANT. Less Living System Design
RESTORATION AND REGENERATION CANOT Energy
BE ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT REDUCING required.
Less initial
THE DAMAGE; YET REDUCING THE DAMAGE cost;
IS AN INADEQUATE RESPONSE ON ITS OWN. Less operating Living Systems/
Regenerating
cost. Consciousness

Conventional Green Sustainable Restorative Regenerative

Buildings Degenerating
Infrastructure
More
Energy
required.
Greater
Technical System Design
Cost
Efficiency - doing things right
Technologies & techniques
Fragmented thinking
Quantitative

Trajectory of Ecological Design

© All rights reserved. Regenesis 2000-2017 - Contact [email protected] for permission to use

Regenerative Development and Design, Fig. 2 Trajectory of ecological design. # Regenesis Group (Reprinted with
permission)

we call disciplines to see things in their larger con- definition is deceptive. To understand and then
text. Ecological design is the careful meshing of deliver what is required to “maintain” and “retain”
human purposes with the larger patterns and flows
of the natural world; it is the careful study of those requires first understanding the nature of ecosys-
patterns and flows to inform human purposes. Com- tems and the nature of the ecological world in
petence in ecological design requires spreading eco- which they exist. That, in turn, requires under-
logical intelligence—knowledge about how nature standing the ecological perspective – the use of
works. [47]
ecological concepts from biology as a metaphor
for understanding and designing environments.
All development of the built environment
involves changing the landscape and, perforce,
Overview: Ecological Sustainability and
the natural systems embedded within it – modify-
Regenerative Development and Design
ing and adapting them for human purposes. The
design of that change is ultimately based on the
Ecological Sustainability
designer’s understanding of the “nature of
Ecological sustainability has been defined as the
nature” – how nature works and, concomitantly,
“capacity of ecosystems to maintain their essential
humans’ relationship to it. That understanding, in
functions and processes, and retain their biodiver-
turn, is shaped by the fundamental model or par-
sity in full measure over the long-term” (www.
adigm held by the larger culture and how it under-
businessdictionary.com). While accurate and
stands nature [7, 13, 26, 40, 41].
straightforward, the seeming simplicity of this
Regenerative Development and Design 11

Divergent ecological versus technological shape the distinctive character of the field of eco-
approaches to sustainability can be attributed in logical sustainability can be found in the writings
large part to their being grounded in very different of Sim Van der Ryn, Stuart Cowan, David Orr,
worldviews. Ecological sustainability, and the and Fritjoff Capra [4, 5, 7]
design systems within it, emerged from the pro-
found shift in worldview that occurred over the Regenerative Development and Design
last century as a result of advances in both the Ecological strategies for sustainability developed
physical and biological sciences. Fritjof Capra has during the 1980s and 1990s were organized
described this as a shift from the mechanistic around the core set of philosophical, theoretical,
worldview of Descartes and Newton. In the mech- and scientific concepts. All were aligned around a
anistic paradigm, the dominant metaphor for commitment to net positive goals for the built
understanding the world (and all organisms within environment, and to that end were committed to
it) was that of a machine composed of separate integrating human structures, processes, and
parts. In contrast, the ecological worldview sees infrastructures with natural living systems. To
the world as a self-organizing, continuously some extent, they differed in the systemic scope
evolving, interdependent web of living systems, they encompassed, falling into four broad catego-
and the concept of ecosystem is the dominant ries along a spectrum of comprehensiveness
metaphor for understanding the world. The eco- (Fig. 3).
system concept, as it has been evolved by living
systems science, has been particularly influential 1. Biophilic – As a design philosophy addressing
in shaping an ecological and regenerative under- the “urge to affiliate with other forms of life”
standing of the world and the role of humans [48], biophilia is relational in its approach – it
within it, with profound implications for sustain- is somewhat passive in its engagement with
ability and development [5, 17, 18]. life and is anthropocentric in its purpose. It
The industrial-era metaphor of machine was acknowledges that humans will, if given a
particularly influential in shaping much of the choice between nature and a human-made con-
built environment in the developed world and text, choose an environment or situation that
continues to play a significant role even today. utilizes, or is in contact with, living systems
By the first decade of the twenty-first century, and their processes. Human health is positively
however, Le Corbusier’s image of the modern influenced by connectivity and diminished if
house as a “machine for living” was being chal- separated from living system connectivity. The
lenged by the image of living buildings and com- design fields that employ biophilic approaches
munities as ecosystems. consciously use: Physical Engagement and
As the ecosystem emerged as a new Connections to natural features and elements;
“governing concept of relationship between Facsimile Connections in terms of the use of
humanity and nature” [17], it confronted some of nature imagery and materials; and Evocative
the most basic premises of the technologies, pro- Connections that use the qualities and attri-
cesses, and goals of the design field at the time, butes of nature in design such as sensory var-
including the role of buildings, the definition of iability, prospect and refuge, serendipity,
the built environment, the role of designers, and discovered complexity [49].
even the role of humans on the planet. As 2. Biomemetic – Cradle to cradle and
designers concerned about sustainability began biomimicry are design philosophies that look
to explore the implications of this new paradigm, to nature as inspiration. They are a functional
it became clear that new ways of thinking and approach that uses nature – its forms and its
working, along with new forms of design and processes – as a model for humans to follow, an
development and new standards of ecological per- anthropocentric perspective. Technical product
formance were required. Some of the most com- design, buildings, manufacturing processes,
prehensive articulations of the key premises that agriculture, and human activity will function
12 Regenerative Development and Design

Regenerative Development and Design, Fig. 3 Levels of ecological design. # Regenesis Group (Reprinted with
permission)

best and be more in harmony with ecological biomemetic approaches and more active than
processes if nature is used as a model and biophilic approaches – yet it generally is an
guide. Nature’s services and techniques are episodic and finite engagement. This approach
generally much more effective and certainly typically intervenes on an initial basis to
more sustainable than technical engineering reestablish the health of a subsystem of an
approximations [50]. The principles guiding ecosystem and community – such as wetlands,
biomemetic thinking are essentially derived woods, riparian corridors, beach dune systems,
from an ecological understanding of how life social systems, and so on. It is a biocentric
works and provide a conceptual starting point approach. When the intervening human role
to move into more comprehensive and regen- is finished however – once the capacity of the
erative systems. system to self-organize is set in motion – the
3. Restorative – Restorative approaches seek to humans leave the engagement [51].
improve current systemic performance, 4. Regenerative – Regenerative approaches
returning living systems to a state of health, embed the capacity to continue to improve
and reestablishing the self-organizing capabil- performance through time and through varying
ity required to maintain that health. This is an environmental conditions. Regenerative devel-
approach that acknowledges that humans have opment and design, as articulated by Regenesis
a role to play. It is more highly integrated than Group and Lyle, recognizes that “humans,
Regenerative Development and Design 13

human developments, social structures and • Creating a field of caring, commitment, and
cultural concerns are an inherent part of eco- deep connection to place that enables the
systems,” making humans integral, and partic- changes required for the above to take place
ularly influential participants in the health and and to endure and evolve through time [10, 30].
destiny of the earth’s web of living systems.
According to this view, the sustainability of the The first comprehensive articulation of the the-
real estate development industry, which works oretical and practical basis of regenerative
directly on these webs, is largely determined approaches to the built environment emerged sep-
by whether humans participate in them as part- arately for regenerative development and regener-
ners or as exploiters [10]. This might be termed ative design in the mid-1990s, from two separate
a process of biobecoming – the development of sources – the work of Regenesis Group and John
a whole system of inter-related living Tillman Lyle. Their respective bodies of work
consciousness – a new mind. “Design inevita- each reflected a convergence of disciplines in
bly instructs us about our relationships to addition to architecture, including: landscape
nature and people, that makes us more or less ecology, geohydrology, landscape architecture,
mindful and more or less ecologically compe- permaculture, regenerative agriculture, general
tent. The ultimate object of design is not arti- systems theory and cybernetics, living systems
facts, buildings, or landscapes, but human theory and thinking, and developmental
minds” [4]. psychology.
In his paper, “New Context, New Responsibil-
M. Kat Anderson supports this way of being in ities: Building Capability” [53], Ray Cole articu-
“Tending the Wild”: lated some of the key implications of a
Wilderness is a negative label for land that has not regenerative approach, including:
been taken care of by humans for a long time . . .
California Indians believe that when humans are • Seeing the responsibility of design as “design-
gone from an area long enough, they lose the prac-
tical knowledge about correct interaction, and the
ing the ‘capability’ of the constructed world to
plants and animals retreat spiritually from the earth support the positive co-evolution of human and
or hide from humans. When intimate interaction natural systems” versus designing “things”
ceases, the continuity of knowledge passed down (buildings, infrastructure, etc.), and defining
through generations is broken, and the land
becomes “wilderness.” [52]
sustainable buildings as “buildings that can
support sustainable patterns of living.”
Together, regenerative development and • Emphasizing the “role of building in positively
design provide a framework for creating, apply- supporting human and natural processes” ver-
ing, adapting, and integrating a blend of modern sus “building as product.”
and ancient technologies to the design, manage- • Positioning “building as central in creating
ment, and continuing evolution of sustainable higher levels of order and, as such, creating
built environments, accomplishing positive eco- increased variety and complexity.”
logical and social results that include: • Seeing the building as within and connected to
a larger system – place, shifts “the current
• Improving the health and vitality of human and emphasis of greater energy self-reliance at the
natural communities – physical, psychological, individual building level” to “opportunities for
economic, and ecological positive connections and creative synergies
• Producing and reinvesting surplus resources with adjacent buildings and surrounding natu-
and energy to build the capacity of the under- ral systems.”
lying relationships and support systems of a
place needed for resilience and continuing evo-
lution of those communities
14 Regenerative Development and Design

A Distinction Between Regenerative participate in ecosystems through development,

Development and Regenerative Design to create optimum health for both human commu-
For ecological sustainability to succeed, it nities (physically, psychologically, socially, cul-
requires a far broader and deeper scope of engage- turally and economically) and other living
ment than an individual building or even commu- organisms and systems” [12]. They describe
nity design [54]. Yet the structure of the regenerative development as defining the desired
development and construction industry, for the outcome in terms of new systemic capabilities,
most part, works to narrow the designers’ role and regenerative design as the means of achieving
and scope, often as a result of decisions made it. In contrast, John Tillman Lyle [26] defined
before the design process even begins. Regenera- design within the context of the built environment
tive development was developed as a discipline in as giving form to physical processes, and regen-
part to address this concern. Regenerative erative design as the replacement of linear systems
approaches view development and design as two of throughput flows with “cyclical flows at
distinct yet synergistic processes, both of which sources, consumption centers, and sinks.” The
play an essential role in ensuring that greater resulting systems provide for “continuous
scope, neither of which is sufficient without the replacement, through (their) own functional pro-
other. cesses, of the energy and materials used in their
The following dictionary definitions provide operation.”
insight into the different roles of development Regenerative development works at the inter-
and design: section of understanding and intention, generating
the patterned, whole-system understanding of a
Development: O.Fr. desveloper, “an unfolding, place, and developing the strategic, systemic
bringing out the latent possibilities,” from thinking capacities and the stakeholder engage-
des- “undo” + veloper “wrap up” a state in ment that are required to ensure designs and
which things are improving; the act of improv- design processes achieve maximum systemic
ing by expanding or enlarging or refining; pro- regenerative leverage and support. To that end, it
gression from a simpler or lower to a more integrates building, human and natural develop-
advanced, mature, or complex form or stage; ment processes within the context of place.
an unfolding; the discovering of something Regenerative development also creates an envi-
secret or withheld from the knowledge of ronment that greatly enhances the effect and effec-
others; disclosure. tiveness of restorative and biomimetic designs.
Design: L. designare “mark out, devise,” from de- The roles of regenerative development, more
“out” + signare “to mark,” an act of working specifically, are to:
out the form of something; to create or contrive
for a particular purpose or effect. 1. Develop the whole-systems understanding of
the inner working of ecosystems in a specific
“Regenerative development provides an inte- place required to determine the right phenom-
grated conceptual framework through which ena to work on or to give form to, in order to
human communities can grow their shared under- inform and provide direction for regenerative
standing of the unique places in which they live design solutions that can realize the greatest
and work. This understanding provides the arma- systemic potential; and
ture for creating a system of sustainable design 2. Build a field of commitment and caring in
strategies and processes tailored to the unique which stakeholders step forward as cocreators
character of a place” [10]. Jenkin and Zari, in and ongoing stewards of those solutions.
their study, “Rethinking the Built Environment,”
write that “Regenerative Regenerative design solutions that are grown
development. . .investigates how humans can from the uniqueness of a place rather than from a
set of universal best practices regenerate rather
Regenerative Development and Design 15

than deplete underlying life support systems and 2. Goals Focus on Regenerative Capacity –
resources, and work to integrate the flows and Regenerative projects are defined by the capac-
structures of the built and natural world “across ity that must be developed and locally embed-
multiple levels of scale, reflecting the influence of ded to support ongoing coevolution of the
larger scales on smaller scales and smaller on built, cultural and natural environments, and
larger” [55, 56]. the humans who utilize and tend to them –
toward higher (more complex, diverse, and
generative) levels of order for all their constit-
uent members, as well as for the larger systems
Regenerative Approaches to Sustainable
they are a part of and dependent on [10, 57].
Development and Design: Key
3. Partnering with Place – Regenerative projects
Framework Premises and Methods
require taking on a new role, moving from a
Overview
“builder of systems we control” to a gardener,
working in partnership with a place and its
Key Premises
processes [10, 21].
The following four premises are drawn from the
4. Progressive Harmonization – Regenerative
work of Regenesis and Lyle. They offer key
projects seek to catalyze a process of continu-
elements for framing regenerative approaches
ally increasing the pattern harmony between
[10, 13, 21, 26, 31, 32, 57]. The four premises
human and natural systems across scales and
work as a system to integrate and align motivation
require indicators and metrics that can track
and means, providing the framework within
dynamic, holistic, and evolving processes [59].
which methodologies and approaches from other
ecological design systems can be integrated into a
regenerative practice (Fig. 4). The first two define Place and Potential
and shape motive and motivation in a regenerative
Potential: ‘the inherent capacity for growth, devel-
project. The last two relate to how a project is opment or coming into being.’ (American Heritage
carried out to ensure that ends and means stay Dictionary of the English Language)
congruent, that the process stays on course toward
William McDonough often describes design as an
a regenerative result.
expression of human intention. Both that intention
and the resultant design, however, are shaped by
1. Place and Potential – Regenerative projects
the potential the designer sees and seeks to realize
are based on the richest possible understanding
for a particular project. Regenerative potential is
of the evolutionary dynamics of a place in
defined as the ability to leverage human interven-
order to identify the potential for realizing
tions to achieve greater systemic health through
greater health and viability as a result of
time – for the place they occupy and depend
human presence in that place [58].
on [31].

Regenerative Direction: Progressive Harmonization

Development and
Design,
Fig. 4 Framework
Means

depicting key premises and Ground:Place and Goal: Regenerative

processes characterizing Motivation
Potential Capacity
regenerative approaches. #
Regenesis Group.
Reprinted with permission

Instrument:
Partnering Place
16 Regenerative Development and Design

Many projects fail to achieve a regenerative goals are set and performance measured in terms
effect because the potential they target is too of the intended contribution of the built environ-
limited – focused on an element or a problem ment to the regenerative capacity of that larger
without seeing its systemic connections. Others living context – (i.e., its capacity to realize and
fail because they seek to realize a potential defined express more of its full potential as a source of
by human ideals but fail to align with the essence increasingly healthy life for all its constituent
of a place and the larger patterns of life that make members as well as for the larger systems it is a
that place work. When a project is grounded in a part of and depends on).
rich patterned understanding of its place, and a Characteristics of a regenerative goal include:
vision of its role and potential within that place
guides its design, even small interventions can • Place sourced and place specific
ripple out into large systemic transformations – • Evolutionary, going beyond improving current
what Curitiba’s long-time mayor Jaime Lerner systemic performance (what is often called
called “urban acupuncture” [60], with ecological restorative) to embedding into the system the
as well as social and economic ramifications. capacity to continue to improve performance
“Place” in regenerative development is alive, a through time and through varying environmen-
living system or entity that is “. . .a unique con- tal conditions
stellation of patterns nested within patterns, inter- • Beyond functional performance goals. Recog-
woven with other patterns in families and guilds nizing “human aspiration and will as the ulti-
and social relationships, all endlessly changing, mate sustaining source of our activities” [27],
cycling, evolving and building to greater levels of regenerative goals address qualitative and
complexity over time. . .an incredibly dynamic spirit dimensions that shape the quality and
and complex being” [59]. A unique, multilayered degree of caring humans bring to their place
dynamic network of natural and human ecosys- and its capacity to continue to thrive
tems within a geographic region, this network • Focusing on the processes physical structures
forms a socioecological whole that is the result enable as central
of complex interactions through time between and
within its constituent ecosystems. The natural Growing Capacity Versus Producing Things:
ecosystems include wildlife and vegetation, local Regenerative projects set place and project spe-
climate, mineral and other deposits, soil, water, cific goals that address all three aspects of regen-
geologic structures, etc.; human ecosystems erative built environments:
include distinctive customs, expressions of
values, economic activities, forms of association, • Operational capacity
ideas for education, traditions, physical artifacts • Organizational capacity
such as buildings and constructed infrastructure, • Aspirational capacity
etc. [10, 13, 30, 57, 61, 62].
Operational Capacity Goals: Operational
Regenerative Capacity: Defining Goals for goals focus on systemic functional effectiveness
Realizing Regenerative Potential in growing the potential of the underlying
The central element for regenerative development resource base – energy, materials, and support
and design is the performance not of a single systems that enable the evolution of life in a
building, but rather of its living context – the place. Regenerative projects set goals for ensuring
unique socioecological system or “place” in that the energies and nutrients flowing through it
which the building is just one of many are used and invested optimally to grow the health
interdependent and interactive elements and of the system and all the life it supports.
dynamics. Within that context, regenerative
Regenerative Development and Design 17

Organizational Capacity Goals: Organiza- appropriate environment, in the manner a gar-

tional capacity focuses on “who” a place is, and dener does for his plants” [64, 65].
addresses two dimensions – what is core to how Successful regenerative development ulti-
this place works as a living system (what we can mately requires all the stakeholders in a place,
“mess” with and what we can not), and what is the not just the development/design team to move
core qualitative character (its essence or distinc- from the role of “builder” to “partner–gardener.”
tiveness) or nature that humans can connect to at a To this end, a premise of regenerative develop-
heart level. Goals for this aspect deal with how to ment is that “Projects should be vehicles for cat-
utilize the built environment and the design pro- alyzing the cooperative enterprises required to
cess to both illuminate and enhance the distinctive enable evolution.” These cooperative enterprises
character of a place as something to be cherished. work to bring together stakeholders – people and
Historic codes and zones are often used to this groups with a stake in growing the potential of
end, but they tend to focus on surface appearance their places, around what Stuart Kauffman called
rather than essence, and over time the code and its “coevolving mutualism,” a progressive and mutu-
restrictions come to take center stage, over- ally beneficial harmonization of human and natu-
shadowing the living core of the place they ral systems [10, 56].
intended to protect [21, 63]. Partnering with place also requires understand-
Aspirational Goals: Growing the systemic ing place as a living whole. Regenerative devel-
regenerative capacity of a place requires an inte- opment starts with a whole systems assessment
gration of human aspirations with the distinctive that looks at a wide range of patterns covering
ecosystems of that place and their drive to evolve multiple scales of systems and a number of differ-
their own health and generativity. This means ent facets. The place intelligence it develops is a
harnessing inherent human creativity and aligning resource that can be mined to inform each stage of
it with the creativity of nature, and creating oppor- design to help ensure that the patterns generated
tunities for people to experience themselves as by the project harmonize with the larger patterns
able to make significant and meaningful contribu- of place. To generate the experience of connection
tions to their place [13]. and caring that creates a partnership, an under-
standing of “who” a place is as a living being – its
distinct spirit and ways of working – is needed in
Partnering with Place: a New Role for Humans
addition to how it functions. Every living system –
and Buildings
whether a person, a tree, or a place – has an
In an ecological paradigm, sustainability requires
ongoing and distinctive core from which it orga-
a fundamental shift in how humans conceive of
nizes the complex arrays of relationships that pro-
and carry out their role on the planet. In the words
duce its activities, its growth, its evolution. Being
of Joshua Ramo, people must “change the role we
able to grasp and share the distinctive core or
imagine for ourselves from architects of a system
essence of a place among and between the design
we can control and manage to gardeners in a
team and local stakeholders provides an enduring
living, shifting ecosystem. For hundreds of years
basis for strong partnering relationships, in the
now we have lived in our minds as builders:
same way it builds strong human partnerships.
constructing everything from nations to
bridges. . . In a revolutionary age, with rapid
• Regeneration Is a New Way of Thinking:
change all around us, our architects’ tools are
deadly. It is time for us to put them down and Learning how to apply a regenerative approach
begins not with a change of techniques but rather
follow (Nobel Laureate Friedrich von) Hayek’s
with a change of mind—a new way of thinking
injunction to live and to think as gardeners.” – about how we plan, design, construct, and operate
gardeners who see themselves as partners in our built environment. [31]
coevolution with the living system in which they
Growing stakeholders and designing and
work, cultivating “growth by providing the
constructing projects that can work as “place
18 Regenerative Development and Design

gardeners” requires bringing and developing for task accomplishment with the development
whole systems thinking that is capable of of new thinking capacities required to design
comprehending, ordering, and organizing the processes not things, make ecologically sound
systemic complexity and dynamism of a living place-appropriate decisions. They create the
place and its multiple scales of nested systems, connection to and emotional resonance with
interactions of multidisciplinary teams over place that generates the will to follow through
extended periods, and extensive local stake- on regenerative development and design
holder participation [17, 18, 21]. This nature decisions.
of systems thinking is characterized by:
– Being grounded in ecoliteracy and pattern
Progressive Harmonization
literacy. Ecoliteracy applies an understand-
The “pole star” or overarching source of direction
ing of the fundamental principles that gov-
for regenerative projects derives from the ultimate
ern how living systems work to specific
effect every regenerative project seeks to achieve:
situations and conditions. Pattern literacy
an enduring and mutually beneficial relationship
involves being able to read, understand,
between the human and natural systems in a par-
and generate appropriate patterns that har-
ticular place. Pattern is the language of relation-
monize with and enable a place and its
ship and regenerative development and design in a
inhabitants to more fully realize what they
living system is a process of patterning human
can be [59].
communities to align with the energetic patterns
– Requiring the practitioner to see what they
of a place in a way that both humans and the place
are working on as a system of energies or life
coevolve. Christopher Alexander was speaking of
processes, rather than as things – to illumi-
pattern harmony when he wrote “When you build
nate the reach toward being more whole and
a thing, you cannot merely build that thing in
alive, a state inherent in living systems that
isolation, but must also repair the world around
is the fuel for regeneration [32, 66].
it, and within it, so that the large world at that one
– Enabling a diversity of participants to grow
place becomes more coherent, and more whole;
their own systems thinking capacity in order
and the thing which you make takes its place in the
to take on more challenging, value-adding
web of nature, as you make it” [67]. While his
roles [10, 22, 66].
initial work focused primarily on the pattern rela-
• Regeneration Is a New Way of Working:
tionship between a building and the human com-
Regenerative development and design does
munity and life surrounding, his later work has
not end with the delivery of the final drawings
increasingly encompassed all living systems.
and approvals, or even with build out of a
Wendell Berry, in his essay “Solving for Pattern,”
project. The responsibility of a regenerative
speaks to creating pattern harmony between
designer includes putting in place during the
human communities and activities and the bio-
development and design process, what is
sphere they take place in [68]. “A bad (design)
required to ensure the ongoing regenerative
solution is bad,” Wendell Berry notes, “because it
capacity of the project, and the people who
acts destructively upon the larger patterns in
inhabit and manage it. Regenerative develop-
which it is contained. . .most likely, because it is
ment employs developmental design processes
formed in ignorance or disregard of them. A good
that encompass integrative design (integrative
solution is good because it is in harmony with
and interdisciplinary beyond traditional build-
those larger patterns. . . A bad solution acts within
ing disciplines, open and participatory), and go
the larger pattern the way a disease or addiction
beyond to embed self-managed learning pro-
acts within the body. A good solution acts within
cesses into the work of conceptualizing,
the larger pattern the way a healthy organ acts
designing, constructing, managing, and evolv-
within the body” [68].
ing regenerative projects [10]. These design
processes integrate the traditional organizing
Regenerative Development and Design 19

Pattern harmony however is not a stable state; a • Understand the Relationship to Place: Integral
good solution today may become a bad one in a Assessment – a whole systems (cultural, eco-
few years, so solving for pattern requires a pro- nomic, geographic, climatic, and ecological)
gressive rather than one-time harmonization, a assessment of site and place as living systems
continuous re-patterning. Theoretical biologist lay the foundational understanding and think-
Stuart Kauffman called this mutually beneficial ing required to see how humans can enable the
relationship “co-evolving mutualism” – health and continuing evolution of the place
coevolving because its ecosystems are always in and themselves as a part of it. A Story of
the process of self-organization and reorganiza- Place ® is codeveloped with the client and/or
tion, increasing in complexity, definition and community. It uses the power of story telling to
information content” [26, 69, 70]. articulate the essence of a place, how it fits in
the world, and what the role of those who
inhabit it can be as collaborators in its evolu-
Regenerative Practice Methodologies
tion (reference).
Regenesis, collaborative members explored, prac-
• Design for Harmony with Place: Translate this
ticed and evolved a regenerative development
understanding into design principles and sys-
methodology over 20 years of fieldwork. The
temic, integrated plans, designs, and construc-
diagram in Fig. 5 was developed as a depiction
tion processes that optimize the presence of
of the essential phases and developmental pro-
people in a landscape by harmonizing human
cesses that are considered key to a regenerative
activities with the larger pattern of place.
practice that creates and sustains an evolutionary
Buildings and infrastructure improve land and
spiral, growing systemic capacity as it actualizes a
ecosystems, and the unique attributes of the
project [21].
land improve the built environment and those
The Three Key Phases of Regenerative
who inhabit it. Synergy with the land and eco-
Practice:
systems leverages the effectiveness of green
design features and technologies and lowers

Regenerative lution
Development and co-evo
SUSTAIN
Design,
Fig. 5 Regenerative
practice methodology
framework. # Regenesis HARMONIZE design for harmony
Group. Reprinted with
permission
bu
ild
the
fo un
UNDERSTAND dation
s

whole systems thinking

sse

rs
olde
roce

akeh
ing p

ng st
anag

growi
tive m
integra

© Regenesis Group
20 Regenerative Development and Design

costs while improving ecosystem health and coevolution – capture the richness of the prece-
productivity. dents in regenerative thinking described in this
• Design for Co-Evolution: In the words of the entry. The following paragraphs illustrate regen-
Urban Sustainability Learning Group erative thinking and practice frameworks and
“. . .sustainability means maintaining the methodologies applied within the three phases,
dynamic potential for further evolution. Living some developed by Regenesis, some drawn from
systems survive by maintaining a condition of other ecological design systems.
dynamic equilibrium with the environment In understanding the relationship to place, the
through constant change and adaptation. In principles from permaculture and biomimicry are
the game of evolution, equilibrium is death” helpful in developing specific land use, building,
[71]. This phase unfolds during and from the and infrastructure design strategies. As a design
work of the previous two phases. If they have system rooted in the ability to discern the patterns
succeeded in creating a culture of coevolution that are structuring both natural and human sys-
in and around the project, and not just a phys- tems, and to generate new patterns that weave the
ical product, its effect can be seen even before human and nature together into a dynamic whole,
final build out. The role of designer becomes permaculture assessment methodologies provide
one of resource, providing processes and a source for developing holistic site assessments.
methods for sustaining the connection to “Pattern as Process,” an article by Regenesis prin-
place as a context that enables owners, man- cipal Tim Murphy and Vickie Marvick, provides a
agers, contractors, and community stake- detailed description of their method for under-
holders to recognize and incorporate new standing and interpreting the patterning of a site
social, economic, and ecological opportunities and its place [59]. The challenge is to ensure that
as their place evolves. the scope being assessed is whole enough to
encompass the interweaving of human and natural
The Three Key Development Processes in systems, dynamics and flows that shape the dis-
Regenerative Practices: tinct character of a place (Fig. 6).
Success in the above three steps is determined Regenesis developed the following framework
by how we think, how we identify harmonies and as a means of illuminating the core patterns struc-
harmonize the human role, and how we engage turing a place as the basis for “mapping” their
stakeholders throughout the planning and devel- dynamic and evolving interrelationships. These
opment process. Specifically, through: patterns include:

• Applying whole-systems thinking to the design, • The ecological, social, and cultural systems
planning, and decision-making processes creating and managing the conditions that
• Managing integration and harmonization shape how life expresses itself in a place
across disciplines, between phases and team • The value adding processes that life engages in
members and local stakeholders within the context of those conditions and how
• Growing stakeholders understanding and they influence and are influenced by them and
appreciation of the place and the new potential • The developmental implications and opportu-
offered, and their capacity to be increasingly nities for how individuals (people and build-
effective partners with the system of evolving ings) can enable the health and continuing
life evolution of place and themselves – through
how they function, the qualitative state of
being they seek and enable, and what they
Illustrations of Regenerative Practices
value and express will toward (adapted from
The three key phases of regenerative practice – a framework developed by Charles Krone as
understanding the relationship to place, designing
part of his thinking technology [8]).
for harmony with place, and designing for
Regenerative Development and Design 21

Capturing the essence understanding that con- needs. Twenty to forty acre-per-home zoning is
veys “who” a place is as a living being emerges planned as the alternative to large farms.
Looked at closely, this photo in Fig. 7 reveals
from the whole systems assessment. Questions that farming was superimposed on top of this allu-
used to reveal the essence include: What is at the vial fan between the stream in the mountain valley
core of a system, around which it is organized? (top center of the photograph) and the river. The
What is the web or larger context of reciprocal soils mapping indicated in Fig. 8 reveals the pattern
more clearly.
relationships within which it is embedded, since Before farming took place here, these radiating
all systems are comprised of smaller systems and streams and drainage ways served as additional
part of larger systems? And what is the potential corridors of cover for wildlife moving back and
inherent in a living system, since this is the fuel for forth between the mountains and the river. When
farmers settled the land, they diverted this perennial
regeneration – the constant reaching toward being stream along the highest possible course
more whole, being more alive? (in elevation) to irrigate fields that were gridded
over a highly productive and robust prairie ecosys-
• A simple example of patterns and the essence tem. This action severely simplified and
destabilized the ecosystem that once was there.
of a system is offered through a case study of The farming pattern did not preserve the integrity
Mahogany Ridge, Idaho, USA [72]. of the ecosystem that contained it; rather, this larger
healthy pattern was obliterated. The ecological
A reductionist approach or an approach that
function of this alluvial fan, and one of the core
abstracts life into a checklist might state that noth-
patterns of the ecosystem in this place, is that of a
ing should be built on existing farmland. This might
“living bridge” between the mountains to the west
be a good principle if the agriculture system was
and the Teton River.
truly symbiotic with nature. In this case, water-
The pattern of a living nutrient bridge between
intensive monoculture farming had nearly
the mountains and the valley that had been revealed
destroyed three distinct ecological systems, each
in the assessment indicated that a higher level of
of which had played an essential role in shaping
ecological health could be reestablished in this
the landscape and its potential for life. An integral
mountain, alluvial fan, and River system. The
assessment looked for patterns of life that had
development of homes in tight clusters could be
enabled high levels of reciprocal relationship
used to pay for the restoration of the stream and
between species and ecological niches, patterns
habitat corridors that originally connected the Teton
that had been obscured and disrupted by farming
River and the mountains and provide wildlife cor-
practices but could be regenerated:
ridors as well as many ecosystem services for com-
The aerial photo in Fig. 6 depicts approximately
munity residents. To support the reestablishment of
3,500 acres of current farmland along the eastern
wildlife corridors, native grasses would be planted
edge of the Big Hole Mountains, just west of the
(minimal turf grass), no fences would be allowed, as
Grand Tetons, that was being considered for devel-
well as no off-leash dogs to disrupt nesting and the
opment. Originally, these mountain watercourses
establishment of territory by new wildlife.
and alluvial fan supported beaver, otter, native cut-
By integrating the community into the develop-
throat trout, salmon, turkeys, grouse, and mega-
ment and management of these systems, they could
fauna, such as deer, elk, moose, and bears. These
produce food (through diversified agriculture and
animals were all responsible for carrying nutrients
wild harvesting), timber, and other products, as well
back upstream into the mountains to feed the forest
as the development of a diversified economy while
and diversify the terrestrial and riparian ecosystem.
insuring the provision of ecosystem services for
Pioneers of European descent arrived in this place
their community. The human involvement in these
100 years ago and used row-crop agriculture tech-
patterns and processes is key to the ongoing regen-
niques to farm on this alluvial fan. As a result,
eration and development of the potential of the site.
ninety percent of the water from the Big Hole
Mountains (in picture) was being used for agricul-
tural purposes (spray irrigation), the salmon were
no longer breeding in the river, the Yellow Tail Once the essence understanding of a place is
cutthroat trout were in species decline, the river developed as a shared context, designing for Har-
was polluted from overloads of nitrogen, and the mony with Place, engages the principles of
upstream forests were in decline. biomimicry, permaculture, and an essential living
The area farmers were going out of business or
bankrupt due to the short growing season. The process framework. The Biomimicry Guild’s Life’s
farms, in the past, had been used to support local Principles and their Genius of Place program pro-
vide guidance and models for establishing locally
22 Regenerative Development and Design

DEVELOPING THE
RIGHT MIND
Will

Being

SYSTEMS OF PLACE
Function Ecological Social Cultural

Psychological
Values
Beliefs
Settlement
Economic
Developmental
Geophysical
Hydrological
Biological
FOODING
VALUE ADDING
PROCESSES SHELTERING

TRANSACTING
ADORNING

RE-CREATING
COMMUNING

© Regenesis. Reprinted with permission

Regenerative Development and Design, as the basis for “mapping” their dynamic and evolving
Fig. 6 Integral Assessment Scope framework. Used as a interrelationships. # Regenesis Group. Reprinted with
means of illuminating the core patterns structuring a place permission

Regenerative Development and Design, Fig. 7 Aerial photo of Mahogany Ridge Resort Community site
Regenerative Development and Design 23

Regenerative Development and Design, Fig. 8 Soil map of Mahogany Ridge site showing alluvial fan patterns

Regenerative
Development and
Design,
Fig. 9 Framework
showing interrelationship of
the 6 essential living
processes and how they
cross ecological, societal,
and economic arenas. Used
to set holistic, integrative
goals and indicators. #
Regenesis Group.
Reprinted with permission

attuned strategies for design elements through to site conditions and opportunities in a way that is
studying the adaptation and survival of local spe- mutually beneficial.(http://permacultureprinciples.
cies within the conditions of a particular site and its com; www.tagari.com) Malcolm Wells created an
surroundings (www.biomimicryguild.com). Per- environmental checklist for the evaluation of
maculture principles, which draw both on an design and development solutions that merges
understanding of ecology and of how indigenous sets of outcomes into a unified whole in
people engaged with their place, also provides a A Regeneration-Based Checklist for Design
lens for developing design strategies that respond
24 Regenerative Development and Design

and Construction (www.sbse.org/resources/ development and design, including: more practi-

docs/wells_checklist_explanation.pdf). tioners encountering the limits of green building
The Essential Living Processes framework was approaches to address the global crises; shifting
developed by Regenesis for setting overarching market dynamics and public awareness; the grow-
project aims, goals, and indicators to guide the ing influence of the ecological perspective and the
design and construction process. It is based on ecosystem concept; the movement toward integra-
the six critical processes that enable living sys- tive design with its reliance on interdisciplinary
tems to support the evolution of life. They include teams; and the growing recognition of the need for
the ability to support the basis for life processes – community engagement and participation to sup-
nourishment, shelter (habitat), and the generation port the behavior changes required for enduring
and exchange of resources for growing and evolv- sustainability.
ing more life. Because humans cannot be sepa- In the 1990s, the most discussed issue for
rated from today’s living systems, the factors go aspiring green designers was how to convince
beyond material factors that form the outer land- clients to incorporate sustainability features. By
scape of a place. They also include the “inner 2010, the discussions increasingly were about
landscape” that sources our spirit and will and how to meet clients’ demands for making their
drives us to cherish and protect the places we project “the greenest” of their kind. Over the same
inhabit. They include the ability of a living system period, appreciation and understanding of ecolog-
to create a sense of identity and foster belonging ical sustainability and the ecosystem perspective
through its culture, to support meaningful and as it applies to human settlements and institutions
contributory lives, and to invoke the spirit and has been significantly reshaping thinking in such
inspiration that sustains caring. The framework fields as public health, education, economic and
enables setting aims and goals (and later develop- community development, and urban planning, as
ing indicators and measuring systems) for how the well as design of the built environment. The core
processes generated by the project support eco- concepts of ecological sustainability, especially
logical, economic, and social health in each of the the concept of seeing communities as ecosystems
six areas. Figure 9 represents the interrelationship in which nature and culture, human and natural
of these processes and the need to integrate and designed features are interwoven and
align how they work across ecological, societal, interdependent, are driving a move toward
and economic arenas in order to realize whole- increasingly systemic and comprehensive goals.
system regenerative effects. These comprehensive goals are in turn defining
new standards of sustainability. Projects seeking
to be “the greenest” now include social, eco-
Future Directions nomic, educational, and aesthetic goals as well
as goals around energy efficiency and pollution.
While regenerative development and design still More comprehensive goals affecting multiple
occupy a relatively small niche in the larger world fields are necessarily stimulating more integrative
of sustainability efforts, interest in regenerative and interdisciplinary approaches. They are also
approaches to the built environment is on the adding the need to build community support and
rise. Beyond the USA, growing interest has been stewardship to the list of essential design issues.
particularly marked in Australia and The ecological and ecosystem perspectives are
New Zealand, including a government commis- providing a common “language” or set of frame-
sioned research report that recommended the works across those fields that is facilitating inte-
adoption of regenerative development as a grative and participatory approaches across
national policy [12]. disciplines and between design teams and the
A number of interrelated factors, working as a public, and in the process further reinforcing an
system, are creating a favorable climate that is ecological worldview.
likely to continue to feed interest in regenerative
Regenerative Development and Design 25

One effect of this system of factors has been the green engineering to cradle-to-cradle green engineer-
application of explicitly regenerative approaches ing. Environ Sci Technol 37(23):434A–441A
3. McDonough W, Braungart M (2002) Cradle to cradle:
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buildings, infrastructure, and natural systems, as New York
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concepts and terms. Ecology 16:284–307. https://doi.
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session notes. Unpublished transcription of dialogue
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roles and new challenges for designers. They are cesses, Carmel
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and structures in isolation from their context to the Tagari, Tyalgum
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design of living systems with built-in evolution- and design: a framework for evolving sustainability.
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Abingdon, Oxon
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