Regenerative Design for Sustainable Development

Winner, 1994 Merit Award for Communications, American Society of Landscape Architects "Regenerative Design for Sustainable Development is nothing less than a user's manual for planet Earth that integrates the principles of ecological design with practical realities better than anything I've read. John Lyle has written the best book now available on the theory and practice of sustainability . . . essential reading for natural resource professionals, architects, planners, educators, environmentalists, and the general public." —David W. Orr, Professor and Chair Environmental Studies Program, Oberlin College "John Lyle has written a splendid book, Regenerative Design for Sustainable Development. It is perfectly topical; it is committed to the unity of art and science, design and planning, man and nature. It is itself exemplary, and it is a repository of exemplary adaptations. It has carried the environmental movement to a new threshold of ecological planning and design. It should be widely read and employed." —Ian L. McHarg, FASLA "In these times of widespread urban stress and regional disruption, the cogent thoughts of John Tillman Lyle on sustainable cities are on target and highly constructive. They are must reading for planning professionals and all concerned citizens." —John Ormsbee Simonds, FASLA "More designers need to broaden their horizons in the way John Lyle has put forth in this book. In general, there are far too few land planners, landscape architects, or architects who have any working procedure that approximates what sustainable design entails. This book provides important historical background and contemporary experience to help guide the way." —Pliny Fisk III, Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems From the despoliation of our rivers and lakes by industrial runoff to the destruction of our atmosphere by sulphur emissions and CFCs, production cycles based on a one-way flow of materials and energy have pushed us to the brink of environmental collapse. It is time for a change, and in this groundbreaking book, John Tillman Lyle offers us a blueprint for implementing that change. This book provides civil engineers, architects, land development planners, and others with practical, realistic approaches to reversing this deadly course. Throughout, the emphasis is on proven regenerative practices for water use, land use, energy use, and building design. Most importantly, it provides ways to reestablish connections between people and nature, between art and science, and between technology and daily life.

Preface ix Credits xiii PART I: RETHINKING THE MIND IN NATURE Chapter 1 Sustainability in the Neotechnic Era 3 Chapter 2 Science, Design, and Regeneration 19 Chapter 3 Strategies for Regenerative Design 37 PART II: MEANS: REGENERATIVE TECHNOLOGY AND ITS APPLICATIONS Chapter 4 Energy: The Heart of the Matter 51 Chapter 5 Habitat, Culture, and Energy Flow 99 Chapter 6 Water: Going with the Flow 141 Chapter 7 Growth, Form, and Productivity 187 Chapter 8 Waste as a Resource 225 PART III: IMPLEMENTATION AND ITS IMPLICATIONS Chapter 9 Regenerative Systems in the Social Fabric 263 Chapter 10 Garden Communities in Gaia's Garden 281 Chapter 11 Economics, Policy, and Transition 307 References 321 Index 331