FTP124: James Ehrlich – Designing Regenerative Villages

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With this episode we are starting a podcast series about regenerative smart village design, where we are featuring notable people in the areas of regenerative cultures, self-sustaining communities, smart villages, etc.

Our first guest in this series is James Erlich, the founder of Regen Villages. Regen Villages is a Stanford University spin-off company, creating the so-called “Tesla of Ecovillages” – the technology integrated VillageOS™ software, for the future of living in resilient neighborhoods.

In this episode we talk about designing regenerative villages, why that is what the communities of the future are going to look like, and what are the barriers and risks to getting there.

In This Episode of Future Thinkers:

• The need in the world that Regen Villages are responding to
• What is the main problem with contemporary city environments
• How to redesign communities on a more local level
• The most unexpected benefits for people living in regenerative villages
• What are the main barriers for smart villages to become a reality
• Why authorities fear decentralization
• The optimistic elements of post-Covid19 ‘green’ transition
• The pros and cons of retrofitting the cities
• What can potentially bring smart villages down
• How can communities of different sizes cooperate effectively

Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

• RegenVillages
• We Are Blacksheep
• Suzanne Simmard: How Trees Talk To Each Other, TED Talk
• Future Thinkers Retreat Center Project
• Future Thinkers Upcoming Workshops

More From Future Thinkers:

• FTP121 – Consequences of COVID-19 Pandemic
• FTP119 – Dr. Dayna Baumeister: Biomimicry – What We Risk If We Ignore Nature’s Design
• FTP106, 107 – Nora Bateson: The Complexities of Climate Change and Cultural Evolution
• FTP090, 091: Joe Brewer: Rites of Passage for Cultural Evolution
• FTP084, 085: Kevin Kelly – What Technology Wants and Why We Need Humans in the Future