Regenerative Futures

Regenerative Futures

Cultivating Regenerative Futures through community, creativity, and action

Our community explores pathways towards a regenerative society —one that actively restores, replenishes, and enhances the systems it depends on.

Current sustainability approaches focus on minimizing harm: less pollution, lower emissions, and greater efficiency, while maintaining the status quo of ecosystems, economies, and communities. Yet many of these efforts remain driven by profit and perpetual growth, limiting real progress. Despite decades of action, planetary boundaries continue to be exceeded and the 1.5°C climate target is slipping out of reach.

A regenerative society values resilience and the self-healing capacity of nature. Rather than merely surviving or reducing harm, it actively creates the conditions for life to thrive — for humans and non-humans alike.

The shift from sustainability to regeneration requires not only innovation and policy change. It calls for a fundamental transformation in how we think, relate, and act. Our community is exploring practical, cultural, and systemic solutions to help enable this transition.

Working on solutions

White paper – Collaboration LDE & Het Groene Brein

We are happy to announce the launching of our white paper on 3 december, combining the insights of 35 experts from academia and practice on the emerging paradigm of regeneration.

LDE Thesis Lab Human-Nature Relationships

Starting in January 2027, this thesis lab will explore what human-nature relationships look like, how they have evolved over time, and how we can rethink them to better support biodiversity. The Lab is supported by partners from the Leiden Biodiversity Network. Students applications are now open!

LDE Thesis Lab Generation Regeneration

Last July, after 6 months of research and interdisciplinary sessions, the 15 students of the Lab proudly presented 15 ideas for a regenerative South Holland Delta in 2100. Inspired by nature, regenerative initiatives and workshops with policymakers and experts, they brought together their findings in a white paper. Read more here!

Follow our Regenerative Dialogues

Follow our Regenerative Dialogues on regeneration and be part of an open conversation on how we can rethink systems, reconnect with nature, and shape regenerative futures together.

Join us

Relive our Talks

Watch the recaps of our past Talks on Regeneration and many other topics. Researchers from Leiden-Delft-Erasmus, entrepreneurs, and policymakers share experiences and fresh insights.

Watch the recaps

Regeneration is not a technical fix

What does regeneration really mean and why is sustainable design still struggling to create real change? These are some of the questions explored by designer and researcher Riel Bessai in his PhD. Rather than focusing only on technical solutions, he looks at the bigger picture: the economic systems, cultural values and political structures that shape how design is practised.

Read the interview

How Inge Schrijver brings regeneration to life with Fungi Farmers

Turn waste into the future. In this article, Inge Schrijver shows how regeneration goes beyond sustainability: from growing oyster mushrooms on coffee grounds to rethinking wellbeing, community, and the city of 2040. A concrete, hopeful story of what restoration looks like in practice — and why it’s needed now.

Read the interview