Regenerative Monterey
Convoking local leaders to develop a roadmap for a regional regenerative economy
Regenerative Monterey was a multi-month initiative designed to align stakeholders from tourism, construction, agriculture, and the blue economy around a shared regenerative vision for the region’s future. Through discovery research and co-design workshops, we surfaced local priorities and developed a strategy, including immediate and long-term community-driven solutions, to advance a regenerative economy in Monterey County. In my role as Design Lead, I co-designed and co-facilitated the discovery and design workshops alongside the Research Lead. Using the insights from our research, I developed a strategy for community-led change and which informed the second phase of the project.
Years
2023
Industry
Sustainability & Regenerative Development
Location
Monterey, California
Scope
Co-Design, Design Strategy, Design Research, Workshop Design & Facilitation
Project Background
Monterey County is known for its tourism, natural landscapes, and agricultural abundance, yet it has been facing a variety of impacts resulting from climate change, such as water insecurity, growing inequality, and biodiversity loss. These challenges strain residents’ livelihoods and are often addressed in silos with short-term solutions. Regenerative Monterey emerged in an effort to look at the county from a systems lens that integrates community well-being with environmental sustainability and reimagines economic growth as a driver of long-term resilience. As Paul Hawken puts it, “regeneration puts life at the center of every action and decision.”
Approach
To understand Monterey County’s landscape, we conducted interviews with diverse stakeholders from across the region. We then facilitated Discovery Workshops for each sector (Tourism, Blue Economy, Agriculture, and Construction) to build a shared vision of a regenerative future. These sessions surfaced seven pathways to regeneration. All seven pathways were refined and prioritized during the Co-Design Workshops, during which participants also developed community-driven solution concepts that helped inform the next phase of the project. More information about the process and findings for this project can be found in the Regenerative Monterey Insights Report.
The Impact
The priorities surfaced during this project, alongside the proposed strategy for the project’s next phase, helped enable the statewide Regenerative California effort.
