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Are you interested in regenerative development?

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Our summary today works with the chapter titled Regenerative development and transitions thinking from 2018 by Dominique Hes and Lars Coenen, part of the Enabling Eco-cities book, published by Springer.

This is a great preparation to our next interview with Dominique Hes in episode 228 talking about regenerative urban development and thinking.

Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see what regenerative development is. This chapter presents regenerative development as a whole systems approach to make both people and nature stronger, more vibrant and more resilient.

[intro music]

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Welcome to today’s What is The Future For Cities podcast and its Research episode; my name is Fanni, and today I will introduce a research paper by summarising it. The episode really is just a short summary of the original paper, and, in case it is interesting enough, I would encourage everyone to check out the whole paper. Stay tuned until because I will give you the 3 most important things and some questions which would be interesting to discuss.

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Regenerative development is a method that brings people and their environments together to improve the health and resilience of both. It focuses on really understanding the unique characteristics and needs of a place, its natural cycles, and the relationships among those who live and work there. By doing so, it aims to make these places more lively, sustainable, and capable of adapting to changes over time. This approach is especially useful for designing eco-cities, as it helps to identify and strengthen the most essential aspects of a city to prepare it for future challenges. Combining regenerative development with smart specialisation— a strategy that emphasizes innovation and involvement from local stakeholders—can help create successful, adaptive eco-cities.

To grasp the essence of a city, you need to see it as a complex ecosystem, defined by its natural features like geology and climate, but also by its people and their activities—such as history, industries, governance, and culture. This holistic view helps you understand both the city’s physical and social aspects but is just the start for regenerative development. Regenerative development focuses on understanding a city’s unique character and fundamental qualities—what makes it distinct and vital. This approach considers how natural systems, like forests, recover and evolve after disturbances by building on what survives and thrives. Similarly, in cities, fostering innovation often starts in small areas or niches, where new ideas and resources can be tested and then expanded to influence the larger system.

Bringing people into the equation adds the ability to consciously learn from the past and creatively plan for the future. This human capacity for foresight and experimentation is crucial in merging ecological and human aspects to foster a mutually beneficial relationship, enhancing both the environment and community life. Regenerative development in cities involves identifying these innovative niches and utilizing the city’s unique story—or essence—to guide these experiments. This requires a deep understanding of the various flows—biophysical, socio-technical, and contextual—that animate the city. For example, a city’s story might be influenced by its reputation (like Melbourne being seen as the most liveable city), which can drive decisions and investments that reinforce this narrative.

A practical example is the Cheonggyecheon stream restoration in Seoul, which improved resilience by enhancing the urban environment and quality of life. However, true regenerative development also aims to strengthen the internal capacities of local communities, not just the physical or ecological aspects. Learning from the past, where one-size-fits-all solutions often failed, Europe has embraced a more tailored approach to urban and regional development known as Smart Specialisation. This strategy builds on the unique assets and capabilities of each region, focusing on economic development through a process that involves extensive stakeholder participation.

This participatory approach is crucial as it helps identify strategic areas for innovation that are not just about technology but include a broad spectrum of innovative practices. Smart Specialisation operates on three core components:

1. Smart: It starts with a thorough analysis of a region’s resources and challenges to pinpoint unique development opportunities.
2. Specialisation: It leverages regional strengths that have a significant activity base, fostering both technological and social innovations.
3. Strategy: It focuses on a few high-priority areas for investment, based on collaborative discovery and evaluation processes involving various stakeholders, including the private sector, educational institutions, civil society, and government. This process is supported by robust monitoring and adaptation mechanisms.

This approach is illustrated by the transformation of Germany’s Ruhr Valley. Historically a coal and steel production hub, the region adapted to economic decline by focusing on environmental technology and cultural reutilization of industrial sites, such as the Zollverein coal complex, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and cultural centre. The success of the Ruhr Valley demonstrates how Smart Specialisation can drive the economic, social, and ecological revitalization of industrial regions, employing a bottom-up approach that engages local stakeholders and adapts to changing circumstances.

To unlock the potential of a place, the authors suggested the following steps: First, establish a dedicated group that oversees the project from initial understanding to implementation. Then, document the hydrological, geomorphological, and ecological features of the area and map out important elements like historical events, natural resources, climate, and economic flows. Afterwards, examine major historical events and their positive or negative impacts on these flows and understand how these flows interact with the place and their resulting impacts. Following, identify recurring patterns and the place’s role within the larger system to discern its unique story. Use the insights from positive flow relationships to spot unique development opportunities and leverage the place’s unique patterns and strengths to initiate significant activities and build capabilities. Finally, define a limited number of development priorities in collaboration with local stakeholders and establish mechanisms for ongoing feedback and reflection to improve both the place and the project’s effectiveness.

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What was the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Do you have any follow up question? Let me know on Twitter at WTF4Cities or on the wtf4cities.com website where the transcripts and show notes are available! Additionally, I will highly appreciate if you consider subscribing to the podcast or on the website. I hope this was an interesting paper for you as well, and thanks for tuning in!

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[music]

Finally, as the most important things, I would like to highlight 3 aspects:

1. Regenerative development is a holistic approach that aims to enhance the resilience and vitality of both people and their environments by understanding the unique essence and needs of a place.
2. Smart Specialisation is a strategy that can operationalize regenerative development by focusing on place-based, participatory, and experimental approaches to foster innovation and economic development.
3. Successful regenerative development and Smart Specialisation initiatives demonstrate the importance of engaging local stakeholders, building on regional strengths, and adapting to changing circumstances.

Additionally, it would be great to talk about the following questions:

1. How can cities identify the most essential aspects to focus on when developing regenerative strategies?
2. How can a city’s “story” drive regenerative development, and what are the potential pitfalls?
3. How can we be part of the regenerative development of our cities?

[outro music]

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