Regenerative Communities: Architecture for Eco-Social Integration

Abstract

Architecture can re-shape the disconnected human-nature relationship by creating spaces that integrate community with ecology. This thesis develops a regenerative community framework that facilitates co-operation among individuals, re-localizing the use of natural resources to foster local economy. Historical analysis of regional connections of land, sea, and community, as well as case studies exemplifying socio-ecologic integration, form a re-interpreted notion of ‘living off the land’ and the design goals for the project. A central facility balances social, environmental and economic values by augmenting an inherently strong sense of community and knowledge of local ecologies within a rural fishing village in Prince Edward Island, Canada. The building empowers the community through production as a means of social engagement, and a spatially flexible design allows seasonal and programmatic adaptability. The community engages in buildings its own space through an iterative process of assessing and re-negotiating local needs and attributes to foster self-reliance.