A Regenerative Place

As the EU #NatureRestoration Law comes into being, we've been reflecting on how our built environment projects exist and interact in the living world. We share this planet with countless other living beings, and our survival is intricately linked to theirs. Currently, our built environment projects seem designed to diminish or eradicate this diversity of life and the resources that sustain it. We've lost more than half of our fellow non-human beings, while our human population has kept growing. Numerous species of trees, insects, birds, and animals are either in decline or extinct, and the built environment has been part of this global ecocide. These beings are essential for pollinating plants, producing food, providing breathable air, supplying clean water, regulating climate, decomposing waste, converting sunlight and soil into edible matter, manifesting beauty, and soothing our souls. Sustainability has become part of every project but what is it we are trying to sustain? Are we sustaining life? What if we could shift our built environment projects towards healing rather than destroying? This fundamental shift is leading to the emergence of Regenerative Development and Design. Creating the conditions that generate life with our built environment projects, rather than diminish it. #BuiltEnvironment #Regeneration #RegenerativeDesign #RealEstate #SustainableBuilding #GreenConstruction

The approach to design and development in real estate is definitely changing. The NEBA: New European Bauhaus Initiative has just released a tool that helps drive regeneration in the built environment. Their case studies (at the link below) highlight this shift beautifully and are well worth a read: 🥖 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐨-𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 The MadreProject in Italy shows that 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞. This school invites participants to use bread as a medium to connect local communities, places, and practices. By integrating system thinking into its education model, they foster sociocultural change, ensuring that regenerative projects have lasting impact because people truly understand them. 🎨 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲 > 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 '𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧' 𝐆𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬, 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲. The Krater project in Slovenia, a community-led production space for eco-social practitioners, created a space which invited urban communities to create their own aesthetic language using secondhand and residual materials, turning an abandoned site into a vibrant, thought-provoking space. 🛢️ 𝐍𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐬 Boundaries are blurring between architects, clients, builders, and locals through co-design approaches across many of the case studies. This collaborative spirit is transforming how we think about and create spaces. Are you noticing a shift in what you're seeing in your field? 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐮𝐡𝐚𝐮𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬: https://lnkd.in/eAnYEWKW 𝘐𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦: 𝘈𝘳𝘬𝘬𝘪’𝘴 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘝𝘪𝘢 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘔𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘭 © 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯, 2022 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘉𝘢𝘶𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘴 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴 #RegenerativeDesign #Sustainability #NewEuropeanBauhaus #BuiltEnvironment

EY has recognised "the unique position that business occupies as a connecting node" towards regenerative development in their latest report. They highlight some key shifts in our thinking and business practices we need to make as part of 'new economy thinking': 🔄 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 (natural, human, social, and relationship), and we need to understand how their use affects these capitals over time. 🌍 Consuming less or differently doesn’t mean being worse off. It’s about 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝-𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬. 📢 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬. Businesses can lead this shift. ✏️ Instead of retrofitting new principles to existing processes, we must 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬. 🤝 Regenerative economics emphasises 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞’𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐚𝐝𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟. At a minimum, this includes paying living wages, but should also consider, for example, maximum ratios between the highest and lowest-paid in organizations, and systems and structures for giving voice to the interests of employees, suppliers and communities. 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://lnkd.in/eQ6h7wxf Authors: Matthew Bell, Anastasia Roussou

🌍 New study out on regenerative design and development! 🌍 A new study on Regenerative Design and Development is out, packed with insights on its origins, essence, and potential to elevate governance, innovation, and planetary health. Frank Kumli has done a fantastic summary of the key points in his post below, to make it easy to dive in. 🔗 Find the link to the study here: https://lnkd.in/ep4mY44v The study emerged from an event organized by the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU and the Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment back in April. Our co-founder, Emmanuel Pauwels 🍃, facilitated a hands-on workshop that brought together civil society, companies, academics, and policymakers to explore its possibilities. Study authors: Leen Gorissen, Karla Akemy B., pIEt Haerens, Lénia D. Rato #RegenerativeDesign #Innovation #Sustainability #EU2024 #RegenerativeDevelopment #Regenerative

Join us for an exclusive online workshop series introducing and applying an innovative Regenerative Framework to 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼-𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀. This monthly series is for anyone who aspires to set new benchmarks in the design and development of residential co-living projects, aligning with the context of living systems and their innate capacity for evolution. This approach goes beyond building structures and works on nurturing the spirit of places and communities. 🔗 𝗥𝗘𝗚𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗡𝗢𝗪: https://lnkd.in/eWryWrMY Within the three 90-minute workshops, you'll get a chance to work on your own project as well as look at some groundbreaking co-living projects from around the world. 🔍 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻: 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟭: 𝗪𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟭𝟱𝘁𝗵, 𝟱-𝟲:𝟯𝟬 𝗣𝗠 𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗧 - Discover the framework's foundational concepts and the powerful premises that underpin it. 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟮: 𝗪𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟭𝟮𝘁𝗵, 𝟱-𝟲:𝟯𝟬 𝗣𝗠 𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗧 - Experiment hands-on with the framework, applying it to residential co-living projects. 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟯: 𝗪𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟭𝟬𝘁𝗵, 𝟱-𝟲:𝟯𝟬 𝗣𝗠 𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗧 - Integrate your learnings to incorporate this framework into your future projects, crafting spaces that support life's ongoing evolution. This Regenerative Framework, developed by the Regenesis Institute for Regenerative Practice, focuses on six critical processes that enable living systems to flourish. 🙋♂️ 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿: Emmanuel Pauwels 🍃 is a regenerative practitioner and co-founder of A Regenerative Place. He founded Green Living Projects in 2009 with a mission to generate positive impact through regenerative buildings. 🏡 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: A Regenerative Place's Community platform on Mighty Networks. Workshops will be held over Zoom. In between sessions, Emmanuel will share more examples of projects and there will be a space for ongoing online conversations and reflections during the workshop period. 💳 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲: 300 €+VAT per person. 🔗 𝗥𝗘𝗚𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗡𝗢𝗪: https://lnkd.in/eWryWrMY Secure your spot for a chance to be at the forefront of regenerative design practices. #RegenerativeDesign #CoLiving #BuiltEnvironment #Regeneration

Take a listen below to our co-founder Emmanuel Pauwels 🍃 discussing regenerative development and design as a thinking technology that totally changes how we work in the built environment. Really interesting conversation with Charlie Cichetti and definitely worth the 20 minute listen. 🏡 For anyone interested in the Foundational Learning Journey they talked about, there are still a few places left! We're heading into week 2 of the 10 week journey, so catching up on just one missed week will be a breeze. Find out more and register here: https://lnkd.in/eVSc5M_M

Just one week left to join this regenerative learning journey specially crafted for people working in the built environment! 🏡 Learn more and register: https://lnkd.in/ex26wPJJ Facilitated by the wonderful Emmanuel Pauwels 🍃, we designed this learning journey to be the building blocks you need to start integrating regenerative principles into your work. What will that look like at the end of your 10 weeks with us? You'll start to: 🌼 Develop your work practices in a way that embraces natural intelligence 🌼 Gain confidence to start applying regenerative thinking in real estate and human-made spaces 🌼 Feel an activated an energised sense of self (this one's very important!) 🌼 Create more clarity on how to align your work with your values 🌼 Make connections with a growing community of like minds and hearts 🌼 Gain insight to chart your unique path 🏡 Learn more and register: https://lnkd.in/ex26wPJJ When you leave us feeling reenergised with your head full of challenging ideas, there is also an invitation to join our Community of Practice. We meet three Wednesday's a month to dive deeper into understanding and actualising regenerative practices. 🏡 Not sure if it's quite right for you? Book a digital coffee to chat with one of our team about where you're at and what you might need: https://lnkd.in/e9XB6CkD

"But I really believe that even a relatively small population of people who know how to do this can have a global impact. If the work has enough intelligence and integrity, it will reach way beyond its immediate sphere of influence." Some nourishing words from Ben Haggard as we go into the weekend. This article is a must read for anyone interested in systemic changemaking. Really great questions from Saskia Rysenbry and Ben is such a wizard at zooming into what's really important. 🔗: https://lnkd.in/e5dQKrx9

Love this discussion below on unlearning prompted by Tijn Tjoelker. As people working in the built environment, we need to have spaces where we can consciously and deliberately leave behind values, behaviours, and knowledge. At A Regenerative Place, we see this as a practice of coming together to consciously and intentionally question, reflect, and regenerate our values, attitudes, behaviours and the knowledge we use in our work. There are so many people in the sustainability and green building space who feel dissatisfied and disillusioned. We know this well because we've all been there. One of the reasons we think this process and practice of unlearning is so crucial for regenerative transformation is because, when done collectively and intentionally, it provides a different path forward. And that's an energising place to be for anyone who's lost a bit of their spirit to keep pushing for change. We don't call our Regenerative Foundational Learning Journey a course for a reason, it really is a new journey -- we develop ourselves deliberately and intentionally so we can help develop others and our organisations. 🏡🏡For anyone who thinks this could be a good fit, our next cohort starts in April Find out more here or book a digital coffee with us to get a feel for what's ahead: https://lnkd.in/g4Yr5GxD