Regenerative Development Research Articles

Regenerative Development Approaches Involving Tourism: Insights Derived from Place

ABSTRACT With the rise of questioning whether it is acceptable for capitalism and economic growth to drive tourism development, alternative development approaches are emerging. This paper draws insights from two research projects investigating tourism’s contributions to developing healthy urban social-ecological systems. In recent years, a surge of interest by tourism scholars has driven increased publications about the approach commonly referred to as “regenerative tourism”. Two research designs that used qualitative case studies were applied and analysed using a post-development lens. Critical findings from both studies centre urban places in the analysis and consider the applicability of a regenerative (tourism) development approach for transforming the health of urban places. This paper challenges the notion that “tourism is primarily an economic phenomenon” and argues that in alignment with the regenerative development lineage, tourism as a tool for development must be designed from place rather than economies.

Apresentação do Centro de Competência e Desenvolvimento da Economia Azul

The blue economy focuses on sustainable and regenerative development associated with resources and sectors related to the aquatic environment (ocean, seas, rivers and lakes). The blue economy encompasses traditional economic activities such as fishing, aquaculture and processing industries, maritime transport, port facilities and logistics, maritime infrastructure and works, shipbuilding and maintenance, coastal tourism and nautical tourism, sports and culture, and education, training and scientific research. It also includes emerging economic activities such as renewable ocean energies (wind, wave and tidal), marine biotechnology (biofuels, genetic resources, pharmaceuticals), maritime surveillance, carbon capture and sequestration, among many others. Each of these activities faces challenges associated with decarbonisation, digitalisation and the circular economy, while offering vast opportunities for innovation, entrepreneurship, investment and the development of professional careers, boosting the creation of qualified jobs. The blue economy is driven by several critical factors, including the promotion of a healthy and resilient ocean, the protection of biodiversity, the existence and quality of basic sanitation, the creation and maintenance of vibrant ecosystems, and investment in knowledge, education and inclusive social development.

Circular-ESG Model for Regenerative Transition

This paper presents a novel circular-ESG framework integrating circular economy (CE) principles with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria to address the lack of uniform sustainability measures. We introduce normalized sustainability coordinates (NSCs) as a comprehensive metric for sustainability performance, reconciling economic development with environmental balance. The circular-ESG model employs a four-quadrant Cartesian system to map business model impacts on natural and socio-economic systems, ranging from linear open-loop to circular closed-loop ESG models. This framework enables empirical analysis through data-driven NSCs (−1 to 1) and establishes temporal key performance indicators. By incorporating the Human Development Index within ecological limits, the model promotes regenerative development aligned with planetary boundaries. The circular-ESG approach offers a practical tool for businesses, households, organizations, and policymakers to navigate sustainable development complexities. This integrated framework fosters innovation and supports a just transition towards regenerative practices, providing a roadmap for high human development within ecological limits. The circular-ESG model advances sustainability science and management, contributing to the discourse on measuring and implementing sustainable practices across sectors and scales. The model is currently conceptual; we encourage empirical validation and further research to explore its practical applications and effectiveness in real-world scenarios. While the provided examples of use cases serve as conceptual demonstrations, future research could empirically apply the model to real-world data.

It’s getting personal: exploring our inner world in the regenerative paradigm shift

Regenerative tourism argues that addressing the current ecological crisis requires inner transformation, referring to changes in people’s mindsets, values, beliefs, and worldviews. Combined, they influence the systems we create and, as such, represent deep levers for systems change. Yet, an in-depth analysis of the inner dimension in the context of regeneration is missing. It is unclear which qualities foster inner development towards regenerative change. Using the concept of leverage points and through a scoping review and thematic analysis of 309 articles on regenerative approaches, regenerative tourism, and the inner dimension of sustainability, this study proposes the Inner Regenerative Development Framework, a whole-person approach constituting aspects of our inner world that enhance our ability to work regeneratively; conceptualised here as Inner Regenerative Development. The framework brings together cognitive, affective, grounded, and holistic aspects of ourselves, encompassing 12 inner leverage points and 85 inner qualities serving as the basis for interventions, a few of which are proposed as starting points for inner-outer transformation. Collectively, these elements highlight the inner domains, capacities, and practices that can be cultivated to support regenerative tourism from the inside out.

Regenerative tourism development as a response to crisis: harnessing practise-led approaches

The pandemic has drawn attention to the unsustainable nature of tourism, intensifying social and economic inequalities and heightening issues of urban vulnerability. As destinations reimagine their future, a holistic approach that addresses social and ecological perspectives through collaboration, stewardship and environmental ethics is required. Regenerative tourism enables destination communities to develop new ways of thinking and build the capability and capacity to work towards embedding tourism practices and ecological processes that advocate human and non-human health and wellbeing. As the tourist-historic city of York, United Kingdom emerged from the pandemic, practice-led regenerative development was evident in the city’s framework for post-Covid recovery and renewal. Semi-structured interviews with leading stakeholders identified how communities can build sustainable city ecologies through living systems thinking, evidenced through collaborative models of engagement. In York, the pandemic catalysed community stewardship and a re-orientation towards a more inclusive tourism environment. This research demonstrates how regenerative practice principles manifest in the interconnections and the networks that support the distinctive qualities and needs of York’s local communities. The study also contributes to understanding how regenerative tourism approaches support cultural revival, as evident in York. Such approaches to tourism management in historic cities highlights the transformative potential of practice-led regenerative development as a tool for addressing tourism development concerns in urban spaces.

A holistic and pluralistic perspective for justice through tourism: a regenerative approach

Justice is integral in transformative tourism approaches that call for a complete restructuring of the travel and tourism sector worldwide. While justice through alternative tourism models promotes responsible, sustainable transitions in the tourism sector, these models are frequently informed by a perceived binary between the social and the environmental and long-held patterns of West-centric thought and West versus ‘the rest’ power dynamics, found both in tourism theory and practice and within justice frameworks. In this article, we explore the potential of the regenerative development paradigm to bridge these divides and adopt a pluriversal lens to devise a more just practice of tourism. The holistic, transformative tenets and pluralistic perspective of regenerative development and tourism are used to build a novel framework for justice. The framework’s capacity to analyse, unlock and catalyse place regeneration in different knowledge systems and restore just relationships has been leveraged in two rural areas in Colombia and Ecuador. Collecting data through mixed qualitative methods that combine reflexive ethnography with in situ and online interviews, we identified actions taken to address local inequalities and challenges while fostering pathways to the systemic transformation of residents’ livelihoods. These place-specific actions inspired by ancestral traditions have revitalised the areas’ ecosystems, including local human communities and the latter’s tourism activities. The discussion of results examines the potential of pluriversal regenerative development and tourism principles grounded in diverse knowledge and ethics frames to guide actions for systemic social and environmental justice.

How Can We Evaluate Regeneration in Tourism?

This study investigates the progression of regenerative tourism, highlighting the evolution from traditional sustainability models toward initiatives that proactively promote environmental restoration, social equity, and economic development. The discussion is rooted in Regenerative Development Theory and examines the critical need for developing comprehensive metrics and indicators. These tools are essential for assessing the impacts of regenerative tourism initiatives, allowing for a nuanced understanding of their contributions to environmental sustainability, social well-being, and economic prosperity. Through a conscientious methodology development and validation process, this work aims to provide stakeholders with the means to accurately evaluate and enhance the regenerative effects of tourism practices. The findings underscore the significance of regenerative tourism in guiding the industry towards a more sustainable and transformative future, offering valuable insights for policymaking, practical interventions, and the direction of future research.

Reconciling the Mismatch: Creating a Regenerative Framework for Regional Planning

The world is urbanizing rapidly, and many urbanized regions deplete and degrade their environment. The additional polycrisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, epidemics, food insecurity, and reduced water, air, and soil quality asks for a transformational vision for the design and planning of these urban regions. Current planning practices are not able to respond to the complexity of the problems associated with the polycrisis. At the same time, regenerative thinking has not yet been practical enough to be accepted into spatial planning practices and create regenerative regions that can respond to the global polycrisis. This mismatch reinforces the status quo of well-thought-through regenerative frameworks on the one hand and ongoing spatial planning in urban regions on the other. The aim of this study is to create a regenerative framework for regional planning. A range of regenerative frameworks have been analyzed and integrated into one ’framework of frameworks’, highlighting clusters of attributes describing the ‘what’, ‘when’, ‘how’, and ‘who’ of what needs to happen to create a regenerative world. On the other hand, expert judgement of planning practices in nine urban regions around the world provided insight about the priorities for regional regenerative development. This clarified the ‘what’ and ‘where’ of different aspects of urban planning in the region. Bringing the theoretical frameworks and practical understanding of urban planning together, the regenerative framework for regional planning provides a practical approach for navigating the complexities of creating a regenerative region. It starts by backtracking to the 1st generation city (of first settlements and indigenous understanding of the land). When this equilibrium is found, it is used to create a vision for the 3rd generation city (in which regenerative potentials are fully used). The comparison with the 2nd generation city (a current anthropogenic industrial city) clarifies what must change, how this change can be achieved, and who the agents of change are to make it happen.

Regenerative adventure tourism. Going beyond sustainability – a horizon 2050 paper

Purpose This study aims to provide an overview of the regenerative concept and how this can be implemented in adventure travel. It looks into the history of sustainable adventure tourism and showcases best practice examples. This study is encouraging operators within the adventure tourism industry to adopt a regenerative approach. Design/methodology/approach A comprehensive literature review on the paradigm of regenerative tourism has been conducted and applied to the adventure tourism industry. Three case studies of selected adventure tourism operators have been selected to enforce this concept. Findings With nature being an essential element of adventure travel, the industry has a long history in terms of sustainability. While tour operators, destination management organisations and other stakeholders are working towards sustainable products, consumers are still convenient and not willing to restrict themselves. The attitude behaviour gap is also noticeable in this segment and a rethinking is necessary. Through the pandemic and the climate crisis, among other aspects, a shift within the tourism industry is inevitable. Adventure tourism can be a role model in this process and good examples from the industry give hope for change. A concept that focuses on the solutions to address the polycrises is regenerative development, which is based on an ecological worldview and a living systems thinking and aims to restore locally visited communities and environments. Numerous operators have already taken measures to help local communities, such as starting projects for nature conservation or encouraging social justice. Research limitations/implications This is a conceptual review without an empirical foundation. The best-case examples are based on an Anglo-Western perspective. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to provide an overview of the current state of research into sustainable adventure tourism and categorise it within the concept of regenerative tourism.

Measuring financial divide in the rural environment. The potential role of the digital transformation of finance

Financial inclusion, which means the promotion of an affordable, timely and adequate access to a wide range of regulated financial products and services, as well as its use by all the segments of the society, is a high potential tool that may contribute to the development of the rural environment, while its absence could in turn cause a major harm. The availability of a sufficient level of financial literacy, which can be defined as the ability to understand financial concepts and risks, as well as the motivation and trust to use it when making financial decisions, is frequently deemed to be a need to reach financial inclusion by the academic literature. Financial literacy is, in turn, influenced by different variables, such as the degree of rural or urban predominance, the level of education and the available income in the household. This paper analyses the impact of such factors on financial literacy. The degree of financial literacy tends to be lower in rural environments, with limited incomes and poorer educational backgrounds, which creates a vicious circle that potentially worsens the situation of what has been called the empty Spain. Considering the importance of financial literacy to reach financial inclusion, we remark the potential of digital transformation as a valuable tool to break this negative trend in the less populated Spanish regions, and so, a cornerstone for the regenerative development of the Spanish rural areas.

Towards a regenerative shift in tourism: applying a regenerative conceptual framework toward swimmable urban rivers

Regenerative tourism is a transformational approach to healing relationships between tourism, places and communities. Several urban rivers are being made swimmable (again) to mitigate against negative climate effects, promote urban health and liveability and contribute to the city’s tourism potential. This paper examines the application of a regenerative tourism conceptual framework (RTCF) to the Swimmable Birrarung/Yarra River (SB2030) initiative in Narrm, Melbourne, Australia and the dynamics among the key initiative stakeholders. Swimming is applied to catalyse regenerative transformations of the city’s main waterway. Tourism’s contributions to regenerating the river and its community are examined. The RTCF is tested for the development and implementation of a transdisciplinary action research project involving the river, civil society, academic, Indigenous, business, and government actors. Analysis of the SB2030 initiative shows that extractive approaches dominate tourism’s approach to the river but also that tourism can play a critical role in supporting the regenerative development of the river and its community. Rather than a type of tourism, it positions tourism’s core purpose as a contributor to the regeneration of social-ecological systems. Evidently, other sectors must create conditions suitable for tourism to support the multi-systems urban river regeneration impetus. This paper contributes to the discursive developments of regenerative tourism applications and informs urban regenerative development transformations.

Sustainable Islamic Financial Engineering with Special Reference to Gulf Cooperation Council’s Economies

ABSTRACT Purpose — This paper explores how Islamic economics and finance, when developed as an embedded framework for regenerative development in line with maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah (the objectives of Islamic law), can facilitate the design of sustainable contracts and Islamic financial engineering. This framework provides a mechanism to achieve the paradigm shift advocated by Islamic finance scholars to accommodate the sustainability agenda into the practical applications of Islamic economics and finance. The paper specifically focuses on the Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) economies. Design/Methodology/Approach — This study employs an analytical research approach to evaluate the compatibility of Islamic social and commercial finance with sustainability objectives. The analysis is primarily qualitative and relies on the One Earth Framework proposed by Simpson et al. (2021) to structure the assessment of opportunities and challenges related to sustainability that Islamic economics and finance in the GCC region can help address. Findings — The paper highlights the potential of Islamic economics and finance as an embedded framework to address sustainability challenges in the GCC countries. By examining the capacity of Islamic finance to accommodate sustainability pathways, it elucidates avenues for integrating sustainable practices within Islamic financial contracts and institutions. Originality/Value — One of the key contributions of this paper is the introduction and development of Islamic economics and finance as an embedded framework. This pioneering concept not only lays the groundwork for a practical mechanism but also signifies a fundamental step in realising the paradigm shift within Islamic finance. This transformative approach enhances the relevance and effectiveness of Islamic finance in fostering sustainability, marking a significant advancement in the field. Research Limitations — While the study provides valuable insights, it primarily follows an analytical approach and does not involve quantitative analysis. It serves as a starting point for further research on the integration of sustainability objectives in Islamic finance. Practical Implications — The paper suggests practical implications for Islamic finance stakeholders, highlighting the potential for sustainable contract design and financial engineering. Keywords — Islamic finance, Islamic financial engineering, Natural capital, Regenerative development, Sustainable contract design Article Classification — Conceptual paper

Regenerative tourism in Australian wine regions

The tourism industry is complex and deeply embedded into the social, environmental, and cultural fabric of social-ecological systems. Tourism presents an additional rural development pathway for regions to diversify their economies and strengthen resilience at both micro (individual/business) and macro (community/regional) scales. In an Australian context, expansion of the tourism industry is an important strategy for rural development, particularly as the viticultural industry responds to uncertainties in the wine market and climate change. However, the emergence and growth of the tourism industry also creates risks for multifunctional viticultural landscapes. To better understand this complex relationship, regenerative development and place attachment literatures are explored to identify how multifunctional viticultural landscapes can be best supported by tourism for strong sustainable development outcomes. Host and guest values are examined in two prominent Australian food and wine regions, McLaren Vale in South Australia and Margaret River in Western Australia. Both places have a history for driving innovative, regenerative practices for sustainable landscape management, tied to regional identity and marketing. However, a mismatch is apparent between local and visitor values towards a range of regenerative land use and development themes. Locals consider sustainable landscapes and regenerative agricultural practices as more important, in association with their connection to place. Yet, visitors appear less aware of the roles that tourism can have in regenerating landscapes and agriculture, which means they are less likely to make decisions to support those practices. Regional tourism should directly assist vignerons to establish resilient and regenerative viticultural landscapes.

Exploring daylight in two different hemispheres: Sweden and Uruguay: a comparative study of daylight as a formgiver and its impact on visual comfort

Daylight’s critical significance for both the built and natural domains underscores its potential to enhance energy efficiency and environmental sustainability in architecture. This study presents a careful exploration, using a tailored case study, to reveal diverse strategies for leveraging daylight’s inherent attributes as a building material. Integrated climate adaptation serves as the bedrock of architectural projects, fostering regenerative development as well as liveable and sustainable spaces. This research delves into daylight’s complexities, positioning it as a primary input in early architectural stages. Through comprehensive analysis in Uruguay and Sweden, this study highlights the interplay of daylight’s effects. An experimental cabin serves as a focal case study, bolstered by Climate Studio software, yielding a thorough daylight analysis across these locations. The synthesis of academic and practical approaches underscores daylight’s pivotal role in shaping sustainable built environments.

Exploring the regenerative potential for community-based ecotourism in the Niah National Park in Sarawak, Malaysia

ABSTRACT Regenerative tourism has recently gained much attention, joining other regenerative ideas like regenerative agriculture, regenerative design, and regenerative development. It promotes value-driven approaches that prioritise community-based tourism development and aims to enhance local well-being by fostering alternative pathways. Concerns regarding the future of the tourism sector as well as its contribution to community empowerment have increased in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly in the case of tourism-dependent and developing economies. In the context of the Niah National Park in Sarawak, Malaysia, this research note critically reflects on past and current development approaches and discusses regenerative tourism potentials.

Regenerative Development Model: A Life Cycle-Based Methodology for the Definition of Regenerative Contribution Units (RCUs)

In the “contributive” approach, balancing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions cannot be considered comprehensive, as all footprints, such as ecological and water, shall be assessed and balanced by regenerative actions contributing not only to carbon removal, but also to the regeneration of biodiversity, land, and water. A survey on existing methodologies for the assessment of the damage (environmental burden) and the calculation of the environmental repair (offsets) has been presented in this work. Its outcome pointed out a lack of scientific knowledge on how to put metrics beyond the regenerative development model and in particular on how life cycle assessment (LCA) can scientifically support a number of key features essential to develop a new methodology. The proposed approach is based on three pillars: reduce, remove, and repair. Indeed, this paper aims to develop a methodological LCA-based approach for the definition of Regenerative Contribution Units (RCUs) to quantitatively assess the contribution of projects in line with Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs) and the framework of regenerative model development. These regenerative units might be marketed locally and globally by enterprises interested in purchasing such assets to scientifically and ethically comply with their corporate ESG obligations. Furthermore, the novelty and feasibility of the proposed approach has been preliminarily investigated through an example of footprints balancing.

Recent trends and economic significance of modified/functionalized biochars for remediation of environmental pollutants

The pollution of soil and aquatic systems by inorganic and organic chemicals has become a global concern. Economical, eco-friendly, and sustainable solutions are direly required to alleviate the deleterious effects of these chemicals to ensure human well-being and environmental sustainability. In recent decades, biochar has emerged as an efficient material encompassing huge potential to decontaminate a wide range of pollutants from soil and aquatic systems. However, the application of raw biochars for pollutant remediation is confronting a major challenge of not getting the desired decontamination results due to its specific properties. Thus, multiple functionalizing/modification techniques have been introduced to alter the physicochemical and molecular attributes of biochars to increase their efficacy in environmental remediation. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the latest advancements in developing multiple functionalized/modified biochars via biological and other physiochemical techniques. Related mechanisms and further applications of multiple modified biochar in soil and water systems remediation have been discussed and summarized. Furthermore, existing research gaps and challenges are discussed, as well as further study needs are suggested. This work epitomizes the scientific prospects for a complete understanding of employing modified biochar as an efficient candidate for the decontamination of polluted soil and water systems for regenerative development.

Environmental criteria when assessing the effectiveness of projects and development programs: Ensuring sustainability and economic security

Currently, the study of environmental criteria when assessing the effectiveness of development projects and programs has deep relevance in the modern environment of sustainable development discourse. At its core, the theme is a cross-cutting issue where environmental imperatives converge with socio-economic needs, embodying the imperative to combine environmental protection with economic prosperity. Understanding the environmental criteria embedded in project evaluation is critical because of the inherent interdependencies between human activities and ecological systems. Moreover, the study of environmental criteria contributes to a more detailed understanding of the dynamics of sustainability, outlining pathways towards sustainable and regenerative development trajectories. Sustainable development depends on reconciling environmental integrity with socio- economic progress, which requires the adoption of holistic approaches that go beyond simple mitigation of environmental impacts. By clarifying environmental thresholds and tipping points associated with development projects and programs, integrating environmental criteria facilitates the identification of sustainability bottlenecks and the formulation of adaptive management strategies.

Regenerative

This article details and discusses Regenerative Development, a concept developed by the Regenesis Group, as a means for enabling church health and renewal. Across 2020-2023 Cityside Baptist in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand, worked with Regenerative Development Practitioners through three phases of application. The process and what emerged challenges usual perspectives on church growth and revitalisation priorities around vision, outcomes and the community and context in view.

Learning as ecosystems: Shifting paradigms for more holistic programming in education and displacement

Meeting the educational needs and aspirations of learners affected by conflict and crisis, and particularly those who have been displaced within and across national borders is a wicked and vexing problem impeding progress on SDG4. We argue a radically different approach is required. Based on insights from complexity science and regenerative development, we present an ecosystem approach based on three dimensions: 1) connectedness and nestedness, 2) reflective learning and 3) working from potential rather than problems. We provide an example of where such work is already being explored, and the possibilities it offers for shifting paradigms informing programming and design of education for learners in displacement.