This 2010 article is by Jared Green, Editor of The Dirt blog, and a manager at the American Society of Landscape Architects.
He reports on REVITALIZATION publisher Storm Cunningham‘s TEDx talk in Washington, DC.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
At the TEDx Mid Atlantic conference, Storm Cunningham argued that the world needs to move past sustainable development, which is “200 years too late,” and towards “restorative development.”
The new “restoration economy” focuses on reuse, restoration, redevelopment, replenishment, and revitalization — creating new value.
The primary idea is to “invest in restoring natural resources so we leave future generations with increased value.”
At the same time, current generations can benefit from “healthier, wealthier, more beautiful surroundings.”
Cunningham says communities must use their “restorable assets” to rebuild their economies. “These are the ingredients of, not the barriers to, revitalization.”
So far, many local governments have approached their environmental and economic issues in separate silos, but instead “communities need to be treated as a living system, and issues need to be addressed as a whole.”