Regenerative design and development: current theory and practice

This notion of regeneration – ‘rebirth’ or ‘renewal’ – has been variously applied in relation to the built environment and the communities it supports following major acts of devastation or when a prior condition had declined to an extent considered ripe for renewal – and, of course, where the commitment has been found to initiate rebuilding. The resulting transformed condition, while embodying traces from its prior condition, is infused with new aspirations and possibilities. Over the past years, however, regeneration has been garnering increasing interest as a means of reframing green building practices and, carrying with it, qualitatively different and broader connotations than that used previously.