Regenerative Villages
Description
C. Liaros:
"Regenerative villages aim to dispel the arbitrary separation of urban areas from food producing rural areas and so reconnect people to food production and natural systems. This is not to suggest a return to an agrarian lifestyle for all, as improved technologies related to energy and water management and vastly improved understanding of ecosystem management would make food production far more efficient than in the past. According to Grigg (1987, p. 93), the changes in agricultural practices arising from industrialisation transformed the role of agriculture in the economies of the Western world. “In the early eighteenth century farmers and farm workers made up three-quarters or more of the labour force in nearly every country”. Yet by the late twentieth century this had fallen to as low as two per cent of the workforce in Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the USA, while in Europe it employs about 8 per cent (Grigg, 1987, p. 95). It is argued that perhaps 10–15 per cent of the population would need to be directly involved in food production as a result of a shift from industrial to regenerative agriculture.
Source: Implementing a new human settlement theory: Strategic Planning for a Network of Regenerative Villages.
Discussion
C. Liaros:
"The principles of regenerative agriculture and of the circular economy provide the basis for a new human settlement theory. First, think of the city as a community of citizens with a regenerative attitude that ensures their actions have a positive impact on the land. Then, capture as much solar energy as possible, manage the water cycle, improve soil health, maximise biodiversity and think in systems so that there is no waste. This approach not only guarantees food but also energy and water. Meanwhile, the concept of regenerative development is emerging as a new approach to land development. Proponents argue that we need to move beyond sustainability – sustaining ourselves and the environment – to regenerative development where we have a positive impact on land and ecosystems.
Source
- Liaros, S. (2019), "Implementing a new human settlement theory Strategic planning for a network of regenerative villages", Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, Vol. 9 No. 3, pp. 258-271
URL = https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336735203_Implementing_a_new_human_settlement_theory_Strategic_planning_for_a_network_of_regenerative_villages doi.