abstract: Sustainability research and action in communities should be holistic, integrating sociocultural, biogeophysical, and spiritual components and their temporal and spatial dynamics toward the aim of co-creating thriving living systems. Yet scientists and practitioners still struggle with such integration. Regenerative development (RD) offers a way forward. RD focuses on shifting the consciousness and thinking underlying (un)sustainability as well as their manifestation in the physical world, creating increasingly higher levels of health and vitality for all life across scales. However, tools are nascent and relatively insular. Until recently, no empirical scientific research studies had been published on RD processes and outcomes. My dissertation fills this gap in three complementary studies. The first is an integrative review that contextualizes regenerative development within the fields of sustainability, sustainable design and development, and ecology by identifying its conceptual elements and introducing a regenerative landscape development paradigm. The second study integrates complex adaptive systems science, ecology, sustainability, and regenerative development to construct and pilot the first iteration of a holistic sustainable development evaluation tool—the Regenerative Development Evaluation Tool—in two river restoration projects. The third study builds upon the first two, integrating scientific knowledge with existing RD and sustainable community design and development practices and theory to construct and pilot a Regenerative Community Development (RCD) Framework. Results indicate that the RCD Framework and Tools, when used within a regenerative landscape development paradigm, can facilitate: (1) shifts in thinking and development and design outcomes to holistic and regenerative ones; (2) identification of areas where development and design projects can become more regenerative and ways to do so; and (3) identification of factors that potentially facilitate and impede RCD processes. Overall, this research provides a direction and tools for holistic sustainable development as well as foundational studies for further research. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Sustainability 2019

This research investigates the values and principles of cooperatives in relation to regenerative development and evaluates how these principles can be applied to foster SDD on Gotland. As alternative economies, cooperatives represent an opportunity to facilitate a regenerative type of development that is needed to face the issues brought by the capitalist system and the tourism industry. These many challenges were exacerbated by the Covid-19 crisis and emphasised the need to find new understandings of the tourism industry and of the way business is carried out in our societies. The evidence gathered from seven semi-structured interviews with the members of a Gotland’s cooperative was analysed in relation to frameworks of values and principles of regenerative development and tourism. Based on the findings and the theoretical background, four Cooperative Principles for Regenerative Development [CPRD] were derived and their potential application for SDD argued. The CPRD include the Support of entrepreneurs, the Commitment and good intent to carry out projects for the community’s wellbeing, Cooperation among stakeholders, associations, and GUBIS companies, and the Contribution to create a healthy, lively, and liveable society. In relation to SDD, the principles can be applied by supporting tourism stakeholder and entrepreneurs so that they can find convergence points among themselves, co-creating across multiple domains to catalyse positive system effects. Additionally, the CPRD can foster SDD by facilitating a discourse about alternative types of exchanges that evolves around an holistic type of economic development that is embedded in the natural ecosystem and is based on circularity and inclusivity.

[pt] A periferia urbana sul da Cidade do México apresenta atualmente um padrão de crescimento conhecido como cidade difusa, em que a dispersão urbana e mistura de atividades urbanas e rurais põem em interdito a dualidade campo-cidade com a que havia sido tratado tradicionalmente o limite no marco de planejamento territorial; e merece o reconhecimento de seu possível rol na promoção do desenvolvimento sustentável deste centro povoado, à luz de uma consolidação urbana futura e de sua vizinhança com sistemas naturais frágeis. Trata-se, pois, de um espaço que deveria ser planejado partindo do reconhecimento destas novas dinâmicas e em que a metodologia de desenvolvimento e design regenerativos, criada à luz do paradigma da sustentabilidade ecológica, poderia ser útil para definir delineamentos que orientassem o ordenamento sustentável deste território. Esta metodologia reconhece o lugar de intervenção e seu caráter único (essência), como as bases fundamentais do processo de definição de estratégias que permitiriam fomentar seu desenvolvimento regenerativo a partir de projetos arquitetônicos ou urbanos. Não obstante, apesar da metodologia propor um marco de trabalho que compreenda o lugar a partir do reconhecimento dos padrões presentes, não fica claro como, em função dos mesmos, se pode determinar os que são centrais e definem, por sua vez, seu caráter único. Ante este vazio metodológico para definir a essência de um lugar a partir do entendimento de seus padrões, e considerando-se que, de acordo com a teoria de sistemas complexos, a compreensão das relações entre os elementos de um sistema permite entender sua estrutura e determinar por sua vez, aqueles que seriam centrais para a organização das dinâmicas presentes, se identificou a metodologia Matriz de Influência como uma possível ferramenta para compreender as relações dos elementos de um sistema a partir da detecção dos níveis de influência dos mesmos. Em função do anterior, se colocou como objetivo desenhar uma ferramenta metodológica que permita detectar os padrões da periferia urbana da Cidade do México que poderiam definir a essência do lugar situado em este território e promover seu desenvolvimento regenerativo; para o qual foi criada uma versão da Matriz de Influência adaptada ao estudo dos padrões e foi expandida a análise objetiva e subjetiva da metodologia de Desenvolvimento e Design Regenerativos. Finalmente, a ferramenta proposta foi testada no Santa María Tepepan, Xochimilco, com o objetivo de determinar sua essência. / [en] Mexico City s south urban periphery is now characterized by a growth pattern known as dispersed city, where urban dispersion and mixing of urban and rural activities, calls into question the rural-urban duality with which the territorial planning had traditionally treated this fringe. It also merits recognition for its possible role in promoting the sustainable development of this city, especially considering its future urban consolidation and its proximity to fragile natural systems. Thus, it is a space that should be planned keeping these new dynamics in mind, and where the regenerative development and design methodology, created under the paradigm of ecological sustainability, could be useful to define guidelines that orient the sustainable development of this area. This methodology recognizes the place itself and its unique character (essence), as the fundamental bases of the project, hence useful in defining the strategies for its regenerative development through architectural or urban projects. Even though the methodology proposes a framework for understanding the place of implementation recognizing its present patterns, it is not clear how to determine the core patterns that define the place’s unique character. To address this methodological void and define the essence of a place on the bases of an understanding of its patterns, and considering that, according to the theory of complex systems, the compression of relations amongst the elements of a system permits us to understand and determine those which are central to the present organizational dynamics; it has been identified the methodology called Influence Matrix which permits leads to the understanding of the relationallity of the elements of a system by detecting their own level of influence. Hence, the proposed objective was to design a methodological tool to detect the patterns of the southern urban periphery of Mexico City that could define the essence of a place located within this territory, and therefore promote its regenerative development. This methodological tool was based on a version of the Matrix of Influence, adapted to the analysis of patterns and on an expanded objective and subjective analysis from the Regenerative Development and Design methodology. Finally, the proposed tool was tested in the town of Santa María Tepepan, Xochimilco, to determine its essence. / [es] La periferia urbana Sur de la Ciudad de México presenta actualmente un patrón de crecimiento conocido como ciudad difusa, en donde la dispersión urbana y mezcla de actividades urbanas y rurales, pone en entredicho la dualidad campo-ciudad con la que había sido tratado tradicionalmente este borde en el marco de la planeación territorial; y amerita el reconocimiento de su posible rol en la promoción del desarrollo sustentable de este centro poblado, a la luz de una consolidación urbana futura y de su cercanía con sistemas naturales frágiles. Se trata pues de un espacio que debería planearse partiendo del reconocimiento de estas nuevas dinámicas y en donde la metodología de Desarrollo y Diseño Regenerativos, creada a la luz del paradigma de la sustentabilidad ecológica, podría ser útil para definir lineamientos que orienten el ordenamiento sustentable de este territorio. Esta metodología reconoce el lugar de intervención y su carácter único (esencia), como las bases fundamentales del proceso de definición de estrategias que permitirían fomentar su desarrollo regenerativo a partir de proyectos arquitectónicos o urbanos. No obstante, si bien es cierto que la metodología propone un marco de trabajo para comprender el lugar a partir del reconocimiento de los patrones presentes, no queda claro cómo en función de los mismos se pueden determinar los que son centrales y definen a su vez su carácter único. Ante este vacío metodológico para definir la esencia de un lugar a partir del entendimiento de sus patrones, y considerando que de acuerdo a la teoría de los sistemas complejos, la comprensión de las relaciones entre los elementos de un sistema permite entender su estructura y determinar a su vez los que son centrales para la organización de las dinámicas presentes; se identificó la metodología Matriz de Influencia, como una posible herramienta que permitiría justamente comprender las relaciones de los elementos de un sistema a partir de la detección de los niveles de influencia de los mismos. En función de lo anterior, se planteó como objetivo diseñar una herramienta metodológica que permita detectar los patrones de la periferia urbana Sur de la Ciudad de México que podrían definir la esencia de un lugar emplazado en este territorio y promover su desarrollo regenerativo; para lo cual se hizo una versión de la Matriz de Influencia adaptada al estudio de patrones y se amplió el análisis objetivo y subjetivo manejado en el marco de la metodología de Desarrollo y Diseño Regenerativos. Finalmente, la herramienta propuesta fue probada en el pueblo de Santa María Tepepan, Xochimilco, con miras a determinar su esencia.