Flourish Design Paradigms for Our Planetary Emergency

Regenerative design and architecture. What will it take to restore balance to our world, repair past injustices, and support future generations’ survival? Reaching beyond ‘sustainability,’ ‘regenerative’ practice is increasingly named as a new goal, but what does this emerging term really mean? And which key mindset shifts might enable truly regenerative transformation? Looking deeply into the web of life that created and supports us, and drawing inspiration from diverse cultural traditions and perspectives, spirited thinkers Michael Pawlyn and Sarah Ichioka propose a bold set of regenerative principles with potential to transform how we design, make, and manage our buildings, infrastructure, and communities. Whether you’re a built environment professional or client, an activist, or a policymaker, Flourish offers an urgent invitation to inhabit a new array of possibilities, through which we can build a thriving future, together.

Michael Pawlyn is an architect, biomimicry expert, and a co-initiator of the global movement Architects Declare Climate and Biodiversity Emergency. His TED talk has been viewed over 2.1 million times. He is founding director of London-based Exploration Architecture. Sarah Ichioka is an urbanist, curator and writer. Connecting cities, culture and ecology, she’s been recognized as a World Cities Summit Young Leader, and one of the Global Public Interest Design 100. She leads Singapore-based strategic consultancy Desire Lines.