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Over time, sustainability paradigms have evolved from meeting human needs throughout time to improving human wellbeing and the viability of ecological systems. Regenerative sustainability (RS), the next wave of sustainability, includes and transcends these goals, aiming for thriving living systems in which whole-system health and wellbeing increase continually. A key difference between sustainability paradigms is the thinking underlying them, with regenerative sustainability based on a holistic worldview and paradigm, integrating recent understandings from science and practice, different ways of knowing, and inner and outer dimensions of sustainability necessary for systemic transformation. RS, practiced through regenerative development and design for over 50 years, aligns human consciousness and actions with living systems principles. When this alignment occurs, sustainable development goals are elevated to become regenerative development goals, with living systems principles and characteristics guiding the development of regenerative indicators and strategies made specific to a place through transformational co-creative processes. We should aim for regenerative sustainability because it offers holistic approaches based on how thriving living systems function, addresses the root causes of (un)sustainability, and is inherently more inspiring and motivational. Advancing regenerative sustainability will require fundamental shifts supported by more awareness and education, theoretical and practical development, leadership, empowering communities, and integrating spirituality.
Leah V. Gibbons. Regenerative—The New Sustainable? Sustainability 2020, 12, 5483 .
AMA StyleLeah V. Gibbons. Regenerative—The New Sustainable? Sustainability. 2020; 12 (13):5483.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLeah V. Gibbons. 2020. "Regenerative—The New Sustainable?" Sustainability 12, no. 13: 5483.
Sustainable development and design have the potential to shift their aim from improving human well-being within environmental limits to catalyzing thriving social-ecological communities (i.e., living systems) across scales. Regenerative development (RD), a methodology that harnesses the potential of living systems, offers a way forward. RD integrates science and practice with essential but often neglected components of sustainability—ecological, social, cultural, spiritual, and geophysical—as well as their temporal and spatial dynamics. It also addresses the root causes of (un)sustainability—thinking and worldviews. This research creates and pilots the first community-scale RD framework (RCD Framework) in a developing intentional community. Findings indicate that the RCD Framework achieves its intended aim of facilitating shifts in thinking and development and design concepts toward holistic and regenerative. Factors that are conducive to or impede RCD are identified, and suggestions are made for advancing RCD science and practice. Implications for larger communities, cities, regions, and sustainable development and design are discussed.
Leah V. Gibbons. Moving Beyond Sustainability: A Regenerative Community Development Framework for Co-creating Thriving Living Systems and Its Application. Journal of Sustainable Development 2020, 13, p20 .
AMA StyleLeah V. Gibbons. Moving Beyond Sustainability: A Regenerative Community Development Framework for Co-creating Thriving Living Systems and Its Application. Journal of Sustainable Development. 2020; 13 (2):p20.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLeah V. Gibbons. 2020. "Moving Beyond Sustainability: A Regenerative Community Development Framework for Co-creating Thriving Living Systems and Its Application." Journal of Sustainable Development 13, no. 2: p20.
Although the integration of science, practice, culture, and spirituality is recognized as necessary to move toward sustainability, most transdisciplinary frameworks are not inclusive of the necessary worldviews, paradigms, aims, processes, and components. Landscape sustainability science focuses on a pivotal level for scientific, practitioner, and stakeholder efforts toward sustainability, yet collaboration and progress have been slow. Regenerative development, a development and design methodology based on a holistic worldview, has potential as an integrating and transformational methodology to fill these gaps. A new paradigm of regenerative landscape development could shift the aim from sustainable social–ecological systems to thriving living systems in which health, well-being, and happiness increase continually across scales. This potential of regenerative landscape development in practice is with two case studies of projects in Viña del Mar, Chile and Juluchuca, Guerrero, Mexico. Finally, recommendations moving forward in constructing regenerative landscape development as a new paradigm are proposed. If fully understood, embraced, and realized, regenerative development holds incredible potential for a future that is not just sustainable but is thriving (This text is adapted with permission from Gibbons et al. in Sustainability 10:1910, 2018).
Leah V. Gibbons. Regenerative Landscape Development: A Transformational Methodology for Thrivability of Landscapes. KULUNDA: Climate Smart Agriculture 2019, 321 -338.
AMA StyleLeah V. Gibbons. Regenerative Landscape Development: A Transformational Methodology for Thrivability of Landscapes. KULUNDA: Climate Smart Agriculture. 2019; ():321-338.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLeah V. Gibbons. 2019. "Regenerative Landscape Development: A Transformational Methodology for Thrivability of Landscapes." KULUNDA: Climate Smart Agriculture , no. : 321-338.
Ecological indicators are foundational for holistic guidance toward thriving living systems, yet existing indicators are incomplete, fragmented, and do not fully integrate living systems principles. We suggest that thriving living systems (i.e., social-ecological or complex adaptive systems) can and should be the aim of sustainability and sustainable development. Thriving living systems, also called regenerative living systems, are those in which complexity, diversity, capacity to support all life, and the potential to change to provide future options increases. Holistic ecological and sustainability indicators and evaluation tools are needed. The emerging field of regenerative development (RD) offers theoretical and practical guidance for such indicators and tools. We integrate complex adaptive systems science, ecology, sustainability, and regenerative development to construct and pilot the first iteration of a holistic sustainable development evaluation tool—the Regenerative Development Evaluation Tool—in two river restoration projects. The tool identifies RD Principles and Core Characteristics of Regenerative Living Systems that provide general guidance for thinking and decision-making. From these general indicators, place-based quantitative and qualitative indicators are constructed through a co-creative community process. Our case studies reveal factors correlated with degrees of engagement with RD and potential place-based indicators for each project. We recommend continuing the development and expansion of the RD Evaluation Tool, adding RD indicators and strategies. We also recommend developing an RD process tool that can work explicitly across scales, integrating the neighborhood, city, landscape, and regional scales since they are pivotal for sustainability efforts and manifesting thriving living systems. Finally, we recommended integrated research and practice to test and adapt RD tools and processes.
Leah V. Gibbons; Genevieve Pearthree; Scott A. Cloutier; Meagan M. Ehlenz. The development, application, and refinement of a Regenerative Development Evaluation Tool and indicators. Ecological Indicators 2019, 108, 105698 .
AMA StyleLeah V. Gibbons, Genevieve Pearthree, Scott A. Cloutier, Meagan M. Ehlenz. The development, application, and refinement of a Regenerative Development Evaluation Tool and indicators. Ecological Indicators. 2019; 108 ():105698.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLeah V. Gibbons; Genevieve Pearthree; Scott A. Cloutier; Meagan M. Ehlenz. 2019. "The development, application, and refinement of a Regenerative Development Evaluation Tool and indicators." Ecological Indicators 108, no. : 105698.
Although the integration of sustainability, ecology, and design has been recognized as necessary by scientists and practitioners, most transdisciplinary frameworks are not inclusive of the worldviews, paradigms, aims, processes, and components necessary for sustainability. Landscape sustainability science helps to focus scientist, scholar, practitioner, and stakeholder efforts toward sustainability at a pivotal level; however, collaboration and progress have been slow. Significant potential exists for design to be an integrative and transformational methodology toward landscape sustainability, yet it has not fulfilled this ambitious role. In this paper, we first build a case for regenerative development, a development and design methodology based on an ecological worldview, as an integrative platform for a new paradigm. This new paradigm, which we call regenerative landscape development, has the potential to thoroughly catalyze a shift toward regenerative sustainability. We then detail this new paradigm as a process that could continually enhance the capacities of living systems to increase health, well-being, and happiness. Next, to illustrate regenerative development in practice, we provide brief case studies of projects in Viña del Mar, Chile and Juluchuca, Guerrero, Mexico. Finally, we propose future recommendations and precautions in the construction of regenerative landscape development as a new paradigm. If fully understood, embraced, and realized, regenerative development holds incredible potential for a sustainable future.
Leah V. Gibbons; Scott A. Cloutier; Paul J. Coseo; Ahmed Barakat. Regenerative Development as an Integrative Paradigm and Methodology for Landscape Sustainability. Sustainability 2018, 10, 1910 .
AMA StyleLeah V. Gibbons, Scott A. Cloutier, Paul J. Coseo, Ahmed Barakat. Regenerative Development as an Integrative Paradigm and Methodology for Landscape Sustainability. Sustainability. 2018; 10 (6):1910.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLeah V. Gibbons; Scott A. Cloutier; Paul J. Coseo; Ahmed Barakat. 2018. "Regenerative Development as an Integrative Paradigm and Methodology for Landscape Sustainability." Sustainability 10, no. 6: 1910.