Exploring Regeneration Abroad and at Home

• Regenerative development helps transform new and existing buildings, places and communities to enhance health, vitality and resilience
• Events in Mexico and Sydney showcase the diversity of approaches, enablers and outcomes
• Geronimo Advisory Principal Dr Hes reflects on key points from both events

In shifting thinking and practices towards genuine regeneration of both the environment and of societies, collaboration and continual learning is the enabling energy for change. Recently I attended the Second Symposium of the Regenerative Regions Agenda in Monterrey Mexico, to give a presentation and workshop on some of the approaches and tools I have been using in my work with architects and development teams.

The movement for regenerative approaches to human settlements is gaining momentum world-wide, and it is noteworthy that some of the most engaged practitioners and communities are working in the Global South.

Speakers and workshop collaborators at the two-day event included a Dr Nilima Bhat from Shakti Leadership Mission in India; Barbara Schaffer, Principal Landscape Architect, Government Architect of NSW;  Prof. Rodrigo Pantoja, Prof. Diana Garcia, Dr. Igor Rubio, Prof. Manish Kumar, Prof. Diana Laura Rivera, Prof. Pablo Cotero, Prof. Travis Blaise, Prof. David Sanchez and Prof. Peter Jones from  the University Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico; South African practitioner, Prof. Chrisna du Plessis); and Prof. Greg Keeffe, Queens University Belfast, Northern Ireland.

All of them spoke through inspiring projects creating real change in landscape and architecture.

How we shape understanding

My own presentation, Regen Unveiled: Place, Story, and the True Potential of Regeneration, focused on the need to reframe how we understand regenerative development. It also looked at how people are working with the concept and its parallels with the regenerative capacity of nature.

For example, after most bushfires, the capacity of an Australian ecosystem to regenerate is related to the health of the ecosystem – its water, soil, seed bank, mycelium levels, access to sun, and nutrients, health of the animals and insects, etc.

The question I asked was, what does this look like in a city? What are the elements that mean that a city has the healthy flows that help it to thrive? And, once you know this, how can your project support the health and vitality of these social flows? 

The first step was to demonstrate what this looks like in the real world, in projects that are creating this new relationship. I aimed to show how this is an approach for creating projects that support the increased vitality and viability of the flows that bring life to a site. In a social cultural context, this means considering what are the flows that bring a city to life such as education, community, ability to accept difference, art, music, food, trust, attachment, purpose, etc.

The second step was to show how this could be done in a project by sharing a one of the tools I use, LENSES^TM. In a workshop with two colleagues from Mexico (Prof. Rodrigo Pantoja & Prof. Diana Garcia,) we explained how they are applying LENSES to a large industrial site which is being redeveloped.

We looked at the challenges of water, food, transport, education, economy, health and wellbeing.  What does a vibrant, revitalised site look like where each of these are thriving?

LENSES

The LENSES™ tool is helping communities bring new life to existing places. Developed by the Centre for Living Environments and Regeneration (CLEAR), it’s designed to guide groups through regenerative development — a way of improving places by working with nature, culture, and local people.

Unlike a checklist or rating system, LENSES™ is a step-by-step process. It helps shift the way people think about projects, encouraging collaboration, deeper understanding of place, and big-picture thinking. The goal is to unlock the full potential of a site — not just to fix it, but to help it thrive.

LENSES™ is useful when redeveloping industrial sites. These places often carry damage or disconnection from the community. The process invites local voices in and focuses on creating spaces that are vibrant, inclusive, and resilient. It is often hard for everyone involved to imagine what regenerative could look like, and that’s where the tool can help.

Three main steps

First, LENSES helps people understand the unique potential of a site. That means asking what it could contribute to the health and vitality of the wider city or landscape.

Next, the focus turns to flows — the things that support and connect a place. These aren’t just physical flows like water, food or energy. They also include cultural flows like beauty, identity, education, and equity.

Finally, the team defines what “regenerative” means for each of these flows. This vision becomes the foundation for design. Once that’s clear, the creative process begins — shaping a place that reflects its full potential and supports life in all its forms.

Seeing outcomes up close

Alongside the formal elements, there was also an opportunity to see some of the regenerative projects happening in the city.  One of the best encounters from my perspective was a site visit to a local botanical garden which was built along the sidewalks and open spaces between buildings. Jardin Botanico shows the area’s seven ecotones (key habitat types) with information and botanical names etc.

The big takeaway was the strong sense I gained that all over the world there are projects which are addressing issues of ecological and social degradation with both big and little initiatives to help rebuild social and ecological capacity.  

 For example, the botanical gardens are a great project. What if our verges in every city were in service of teaching and improving and protecting local habitats and connecting all residents to their local unique ecosystems. 

We also explored the social and cultural in Monterrey, eating wonderful food, and seeing how projects at the university linked with local growers and local Michelin chefs for a true experience of regeneration, food production, celebration and yummy food and wine.

Shift from recycling to regeneration in Sydney

Back in Australia, we are seeing a shift in thinking around resource recovery that is aiming to replace ‘less bad’ waste management approaches with true, regenerative and circular models. At ReGen: Australia’s Circular Resource Expo 2025 on July 23-24 in Sydney, two formerly separate annual events – Circularity and the Australian Waste and Recycling Expo – are now combining as one event with an overt materials stewardship focus.

I will be speaking on the Circularity Stage on the first day, giving a keynote presentation titled ‘Regen 101’. This aims to help people understand the meaning of the concept of ‘regeneration’ in the context of the circular economy. I will be exploring what the concept means for materials, products and manufacturing industries, and what it means for design practitioners and policymakers.

Further information on the event can be found here.