Pathways to Regeneration

* Book: Pathways to Regeneration: Hope and Resilience through Anticipatory Design. Stephen Demeulenaere and Scott Morris. Allo Capital, 2025.

URL = https://www.allo.capital/resources/pathways-to-regeneration pdf

Description

"Facing escalating ecological and financial crises, Scott Morris and Stephen DeMeulenaere propose Anticipatory Design, a proactive methodology for creating regenerative economic systems based on what we can predict about the future, as a critical tool to address root causes rather than symptoms.

Drawing from R. Buckminster Fuller, E.F. Schumacher, Michel Bauwens, Jem Bendell and others, the authors advocate moving beyond GDP-focused growth toward comprehensive wealth building across all forms of capital.

The authors challenge conventional economic narratives by revealing how ancient systems prioritized community welfare through gift economies and shared resource management, contrasting sharply with today's extractive models. Historical examples, from Depression-era emergency currencies to the Wörgl experiment's "economic miracle," demonstrate communities' capacity to create alternative economic systems during crises.

Central to their framework is monetary diversity and optimizing for circulation over wealth concentration. Like natural ecosystems, resilient economies require multiple exchange mechanisms rather than dependence on single currencies. The book introduces analytical tools (the Iceberg Model for systems thinking; the NEAT Method for participatory design), enabling communities to architect economic systems aligned with their values.

Blockchain technologies, particularly Ethereum's programmable capabilities, represent powerful tools when grounded in regenerative design principles and community wisdom. Without this ethical foundation, blockchain risks replicating extractive patterns rather than enabling genuine systems transformation.

The book provides practical frameworks for communities to design fairer governance structures, capital formation mechanisms, and economies that serve authentic local needs while connecting to broader regenerative movements. Combining anticipatory design with regenerative economics creates systems for a more viable future."