Using the Library of Systems Change model, we asked lab members to map the changes they expected to see at each level in the built environment system as we transition from a degenerative to a regenerative built environment. Below we summarise the findings in relation to mindsets and operations, where we think the outputs are most informative.
Mindsets
At the level of mindsets we found that participants were able to confidently articulate the mindsets that dominate in the built-environment sector and how these would need to change in order to create a transition to a regenerative built environment. This mindset shifts can be summarised as follows:
From Social Disconnection to Collaboration and Stewardship
Transition from apathy to active stewardship of natural resources and concern for future generations.
From Scarcity to Abundance
Shift away from focusing solely on economic benefit to recognising benefits for all, including holistic wellbeing.
Move from extractive capitalism to practices that support abundance and generosity.
Reimagining Education
Integrate education more closely with the living world, creating a deeper connection and understanding.
Economic Transition
Shift from prioritising corporate profit to emphasising community engagement and global responsibility.
Living with the Living World
Move from a mindset of separation to one of coexistence, learning to live adaptively with living systems, such as water management.
Operations
The operations shelf of the Library of Systems Change is for all the rules, regulations, procedures, information flows etc that reinforce the dominant form of design.
When thinking about how the operating conditions would need to change, participants were able to clearly articulate the challenges with the existing operating conditions, and were able to describe how we might be able to transition away from these practices towards something more regenerative. On the detail of what regenerative operating conditions would look like, participants were much less clear.
Below we summarise how the participants see the current operating conditions in the built-environment, and how we might begin to transition away from these towards more regenerative operating conditions.
Planning and Regulations
Current rigid planning regulations and minimum standards-focused building codes need to be replaced with flexible guidelines that include net zero targets, Part Z Building Regulations, and whole-life cycle carbon policies, emphasising circular economy practices.
Community Engagement
Instead of superficial, tick-box community engagement exercises, planning processes should integrate meaningful social value to ensure community involvement shapes outcomes.
Land Use and Biodiversity
Transition from inadequate land use discussions and minimal biodiversity considerations to ensuring Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), creating connected ecosystems, and respecting greenbelt areas.
Water Management
Move from rarely including water reuse/harvesting to developing comprehensive catchment scale solutions and implementing extensive water reuse and harvesting systems.
Transportation
Shift from planning that avoids disrupting roads and traffic to integrating sustainable transportation planning with green infrastructure initiatives.
Funding and Retrofit
Replace the lack of funding for retrofitting cultural heritage buildings and the preference for conventional, greenwashed projects with redirected funding towards retrofitting, reuse, and genuinely regenerative projects.
Maintenance and Materials
Transition from using ‘maintenance-free’ building elements and materials requiring toxic treatments to materials supporting whole-life cycle sustainability, allowing for innovative materials and creating experimental spaces.
Technical and Performance Standards
Move from focusing on ‘u-value’ tailored to fossil-based insulation and insufficient evidence gathering to developing decarbonisation roadmaps and robustly supporting innovative, sustainable building methods.
Reflections on this exercise
Imagining the future
A pattern that we see repeating in the Regenerative Design Labs is the challenge of describing the details of the future. We see this pattern in this exercise in which participants found it much easier to describe future mindsets than details of future policies or designs. This observation is consistent with the Three Horizons Model, according to which our view of the future is blocked by the present. In contrast, describing future mindsets is easier, and there is a clue here that we need to do more work to translate these mindsets into details on the ground.
Recurring issues for policy-making
Key themes for this group of people engaged with policy change in the built-environment are the transformation of rigid regulations, superficial engagement, inadequate environmental considerations, and conservative funding mechanisms into flexible, inclusive, and innovative frameworks that support long-term ecological and social well-being.