Future Living: Sustainable Settlements
Evolving the Biohub Concept
In the lexicon of regenerative systems, a Biohub stands as a beacon of evolutionary dynamism. It is not a static entity but a process — a ceaseless evolution that mirrors the living force of regeneration.
This process encapsulates the balance between resilience and its interfaces with other systems, perpetually adapting and transforming. The end goal is sustainability, yet not in the conventional sense that humans often perceive.
True sustainability, as nature understands it, is an intricate evolution toward consciousness, characterized by interdependence, resilience, and syntropic processes within the system itself and with the nested systems to which it is connected.
Hence, a Biohub is more of a continuous regenerative process than a mere object. It embodies the ongoing alignment with the patterns and principles that sustain life, a process of interbeing and interbecoming.
In essence, it is a syntropic force co-evolving with the very principles that underpin life, redefining sustainability as a synergistic dance with the living world.
The Biohub is, at its core, a human settlement designed to evolve not only towards its own sustainability but also towards the sustainability of the larger, interconnected system upon which it depends for its life-supporting functions.
This evolving process requires a systemic perspective, embracing living systems thinking and regenerative design rooted in the seven principles of regenerative design, to understand and design accordingly.
It represents a holistic cosmovision rather than a reductionist cause-effect approach, emphasizing the principles of interbeing and interbecoming.
In this context, the Biohub is not about quick fixes or immediate actions but about allowing natural processes to unfold. It operates within the framework of an infinite game, where the aim is to perpetuate life — in other words, to continue life.
The infinite game includes any authentic interaction, from touching to culture, that changes rules, plays with boundaries and exists solely for the purpose of continuing the game.
Each Biohub is unique, with processes and operational frameworks tailored to its specific place, honoring the community and the place’s story. This means respecting what the place aspires to become in its healthiest state for both humans and nature.
The Biohub functions as an integrative multi-agency process with Regenerative designing and Regenerative Development within 11 vectors of Regenerative Design, recognizing the importance of nature, community, and the integration of indigenous and natural wisdom.
Nurturing Sustainable Communities
Initially, it is essential to ground deeply by understanding the story of place and working closely with local communities. In parallel comprehending natural ecosystems is facilitated by modern technologies that enable the measurement of ecosystem services, providing a comprehensive approach that includes both social and natural dimensions.
Therefore initial focus of the Biohub, as an innovation center is to grasp local social, natural, economic, and biosphere interactions and potentials, laying the groundwork for sustainable development.
Ancestral Reconciliation is not just about looking back but integrating timeless wisdom with modern understanding, creating a bridge between past and future.
The Biohub promotes social regeneration by integrating ancestral reconciliation and cultural wisdom. It involves harmonizing social relationships with regenerative principles, engaging with ancient wisdom and cultural heritage to inform modern existence, and honoring the unique characteristics of place.
It focuses on creating a culture that evolves in harmony with nature, integrating local socio-cultural elements and regenerative practices into community life. Inspired by Daniel Christian Wahl’s perspective, the Biohub emphasizes adaptive and evolving practices, fostering a diverse, locally influenced culture aligned with planetary healing.
Governance within the Biohub promotes decentralized decision-making and participatory governance, drawing inspiration from natural systems. Influences from Elinor Ostrom’s Commons, guide the development of adaptive, resilient social structures. This dynamic model fosters innovation, sustainability, and interconnectedness, creating a forward-thinking community for the 21st century and beyond.
Digital Twins: Revolutionizing Biodiversity Management
By leveraging today’s exponential technologies, the Biohub creates a digital twin of the ecosystem, replicating the physical land with advanced sensing metrics, monitoring systems, and MRV technology, (Measurement, Reporting, and Verification).
With significant advancements in agricultural technology, such as sensing, monitoring systems, and data-processing algorithms, we can now monitor biodiversity more effectively. Blockchain platforms ensure secure data management, while artificial intelligence analyzes complex data to understand relational interdependencies, feedback loops, and potential emergencies.
Employing techniques from expert field observations to satellite-based earth observations, biodiversity measurement today allows for the effective protection and valuation of biodiversity.
All this information enables the Biohub to become a local center for creating trustworthy, verifiable metrics that understand the ecosystem as a living system, identifying feedback loops, assessing positive and negative anthropogenic impacts, and creating models that steer the biome towards a healthy, resilient, and regenerative thriving ecosystem.
Diverse Communities in Biohub: A Path to Zero Footprint
Depending on the region, the population within a Biohub can vary significantly. It may consist of a dedicated group of scientists and thought leaders or a Biocampus (resembling a university campus) where digital nomads and young designers and developers come together for co-design, co-learning, and co-working residencies. The ultimate challenge for this human settlement is to achieve a zero footprint and become self-sustaining in energy and food production, adhering to a net-zero commitment.
Who is the target audience of the Biohub?
The Biohub is designed for individuals who seek to immerse themselves in pristine nature for residencies ranging from one to four months. These residents will engage in activities that care for and restore the natural environment, gaining a deep understanding of the living ecosystem and its services. The goal is to achieve self-sustainability in food and energy, with agroforestry and food production playing a key role, as the land has sustained previous generations for centuries. This setting provides a unique opportunity for individuals to connect with nature, contribute to ecological restoration, and live in harmony with the environment.
If you want to understand a day in a Biohub, a fictional story might be a great way to grasp the dynamics. This is the story of John, a “biohubber” who spends three months in a Biohub in the south of Chile.
Note from the author: This article is an update of the initial definition of Biohub from October of last year. Since the Biohub is not an object but a process, the continuous evolution of our design process keeps changing. We upload entries in the logbook when we feel an evolution is worth noticing.
For further reading, I have shared several articles about this topic on Medium. Additionally, a white paper on the Biohub is available. As mentioned, the Biohub described in this WP evolves as our ongoing exposure and experiences are continually shaping and refining it.
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