Regenerative Development — Primer

Purpose: A practical primer and reading links for teams building solutions that strengthen communities.

🌱 What is Regenerative Development?

Regenerative development goes beyond “doing less harm” (sustainability) to actively improving the health and vitality of the communities and ecosystems we work with. It’s about creating solutions that:

Listen first — Understand the context before proposing solutions
Work with existing systems — Build on what already works, don’t replace it
Plan for long-term stewardship — Design for maintenance and local ownership
Measure human impact — Track wellbeing, not just lines of code or user metrics

🎯 Core Principles

1. Start with People and Place — Not the Technology

Why it matters: Technology is a tool, not a solution. The best solutions emerge from deep understanding of local context, culture, and needs.

In practice:

Spend time in the community before coding
Interview stakeholders, observe daily patterns
Ask: “What already works here?” before asking “What’s broken?”

Example: Instead of building a new app for market vendors, first understand how they currently communicate, track inventory, and build trust with customers.

2. Prototype Quickly, Test with Real People, Learn, Iterate

Why it matters: Assumptions fail. Real feedback from real users in real contexts is the only way to build something useful.

In practice:

Build the smallest testable version first
Test with 3-5 real users, not friends or family
Document what surprised you — those insights are gold

Example: A simple SMS system tested with 5 vendors teaches you more than a polished app tested with no one.

3. Prioritize Solutions that Regenerate Local Capacity

Why it matters: The best solutions make communities more capable, not more dependent on external technology or expertise.

In practice:

Design for local maintenance and ownership
Train local champions who can support others
Use technology that can be understood and fixed locally

Example: A solar-powered collection drum with a simple mechanical counter is better than a cloud-connected IoT device if no one can fix it when it breaks.

💡 Suggested Prompts for Teams

Before you start building, ask yourselves:

Understanding the System

Who are the stewards of this problem? (Who already cares and is working on it?)
What local knowledge exists? (What do people already know that we don’t?)
What’s already working? (What shouldn’t we break or replace?)

Designing for Regeneration

How can we support, not replace? (How do we strengthen existing efforts?)
Who will maintain this in 6 months? (Is there a clear path to local ownership?)
What capacity are we building? (Are we making the community more or less self-reliant?)

Measuring Impact

What changes for people? (Not just what the technology does)
Who benefits most? (And who might be left out or harmed?)
What happens if we leave? (Is the solution sustainable without us?)

📚 Further Reading

Regenerative Development and Design by Pamela Mang and Ben Haggard
Design Justice by Sasha Costanza-Chock — designjustice.org
The Tyranny of Structurelessness by Jo Freeman — Understanding power in community projects
Small is Beautiful by E.F. Schumacher — Economics as if people mattered

✅ Quick Self-Check

Before your next check-in, ask:

Have we spent time listening to the community?
Can we name 3 things that already work in this context?
Have we tested our prototype with real users?
Do we know who will maintain this solution long-term?
Are we measuring human impact, not just technical metrics?

Remember: The goal isn’t to build the most impressive technology. It’s to create lasting positive change for real people in real places.