Buildings don’t exist in a vacuum. But we have often thought of them that way – independent objects plunked down on a piece of land with little or no regard for the impact they have on the surrounding environment or the communities they house. Efforts to mitigate the consequences of that mindset have given rise over the decades to various approaches to sustainability.

But sustainability isn’t enough.

Enter Bill Reed – an internationally recognized planning consultant, design process facilitator, lecturer, teacher, and author in sustainability and regeneration. As a principal of Regenesis, Inc. Bill’s work centers on creating the framework for and managing an integrative, whole and living system design process – an approach known as regenerative development. Its objective: to improve the overall quality of the physical, social and spiritual life of our living places and therefore the planet. The more immediate benefits of this process include such things as higher efficiency, lower costs, reduced waste, faster time to market, and the realization of exponential value to the social, ecological, financial and human qualities of a project, the community and its ecosystem.

Bill and I discuss the principles of regenerative development and its impact on architects, the profession, and how we see our role in creating the built environment.