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Turning the Story Around: Designing Regenerative and Distributive Economies

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Learning activity

Kate Raworth has shared real-world examples of regenerative and distributive redesigns, from innovative approaches to housing in Vienna to an employee-owned company in Mumbai.

Take some time to think about the practices you are familiar with in your own organisation. What is ONE way that you think your organisation can be more deliberate about incorporating a regenerative or distributive approach into its business models or initiatives?

Key Takeaways

In this chapter, Kate Raworth emphasised the need to move towards regenerative and distributive economic systems that align with the Doughnut model, balancing ecological sustainability with social equity.

  1. The current linear, degenerative industrial system must evolve into a circular economy, reusing and recycling resources to reduce ecological impact and work within Earth's natural cycles.

  2. Regenerative practices can be implemented at multiple scales, from landscape restoration to industrial recycling and urban redevelopment, as seen in Seoul’s transformation of a highway into a river and park.

  3. Current economic systems concentrate wealth and opportunity in the hands of a few, necessitating a shift towards a more equitable distribution of resources and opportunities.

  4. Kate Raworth critiqued the traditional profit-maximising business model in favour of worker-owned and cooperative models, exemplifying how businesses can contribute to a more equitable distribution of value.

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Further Readings
  1. Development Asia (2016)Revitalizing a City by Reviving a StreamAsian Development Bank
  2. Aitor Hernandez-Morales (2022)How Vienna took the stigma out of social housingPOLITICO
  3. Doughnut Economics Action Lab (2022)Introducing Regenerative and Distributive Design