Design Impact Series: Regeneration: Design Strategies for a New Future
This is the fourth installment in a broader series of virtual symposia being organized by the Harvard Graduate School of Design Alumni Council. The first three events, Transformations at the Intersection of Equity, Climate Change, and Health, Homelessness: Ethics/Policy/Action, and South Asia – Design Agency & Climate Change have attracted thousands of attendees from across the globe.
Design Impact Vol. 4: Regeneration: Design Strategies for a Resilient Future, examines alternative philosophies, initiatives and design practices within the framework of Regeneration, for a more holistic approach to ensuring a sustainable future.
The panel will explore the potential for regenerative practices to shift our cultural, economic, social and ecological drivers for new whole systems design. Regionally driven and specific to the geological, climactic, historical and cultural traditions of place, regenerative initiatives advocate low-impact, healing and high quality lifestyles, integrating modern clean and renewable technologies with indigenous wisdom. They emphasize community building, inclusiveness, and foster a relational perspective with ecosystems that is inspired by a reverence for the wisdom inherent in nature. The event is organized into two panels. The first, “Regeneration: A Paradigm Shift,” will introduce the concept of Regenerative Thinking. The second, “Regenerative Design: Systems, Technologies and Strategies” will present diverse tools for practice. Both panels will be followed by a moderated discussion and an audience question and answer session.
Event Organizers
- Ana Pinto Da Silva MDes ’05, Design Impact Chair, Designer Leader, technologist and Community Servant, based in Seattle, WA
- Jaya Kader MArch ’88, Event Curator, Architect, Sustainable Design, based in Miami, FL and Costa Rica
- Julia Smachylo DDes ’21, Moderator, Urban Planner and Designer, based in Providence RI
- Adriana Pablos MDes ’21, Moderator, Architect and Urbanist, based in Cambridge and Madrid
- Cadence Bayley MAUD ’21, Architect and Urban Designer, based in Somerville, MA
- Naksha Satish MAUD ’22, MArch ’22, Architect and Urban Practitioner, based in Balgalore, India
- Lindsey Grant LaGrasse, Assistant Director of Events and Special Projects, GSD
Session 1: Regeneration: A Paradigm Shift / 10:15 – 11:30 AM EDT
This panel will outline regenerative thinking as supported by indigenous science, present an overview of regenerative economics, and explore case studies for applying these systems-based approaches to design.
Introduction by David Moreno Mateos, Restoration Ecologist, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture, Harvard GSD. Moderated by Julia Smachylo DDes ’21, Urban Planner and Designer.
Panelists
- Tiokasin Ghosthorse, Indigenous Peace Activist and guest faculty member at Yale University’s School of Divinity, Ecology and Forestry
- Carol Sanford, Senior Fellow of Social Innovation, Babson College; CEO, The Regenerative Paradigm Institute
- Bill Reed, AIA LEED, Principal of Regenesis, founder of IDC
Session 2: Regenerative Design: Systems, Technologies and Strategies / 11:30 AM – 12:55 PM EDT
This panel brings together different practitioners who will share tools and applications of regenerative design, including: planning, preservation, biomimicry, indigenous activism, regenerative agriculture, and permaculture.
Moderated by Adriana Pablos MDes ’21, Architect and Urbanist.
Panelists
- Walter Meyer MLAUD ’03, Landscape Architect and Urban Designer, Educator, and Community Organizer
- Atossa Soltani, Indigenous Activist and Board President of Amazon Watch
- Tom Newmark, Founding Member of the Leadership Council of the Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient
- Victoria Kindred Keziah, Biomimicry Specialist and General Manager for Client Engagement at Biomimicry 3.8
- Eva Leung MArch ’12, Architect, co-founder and CEO of non-profit Terra Cura Inc.