Abstract
This paper considers the development of a regenerative design practice as a grounded and participatory method that fosters sustainable design and solutions, sensitive to relational practices and values, even when these are thought to be negligible. We draw upon theories of ecological relationality, in combination with posthuman theory, to argue that holistic regenerative design should aim to foster ownership of the design processes amongst affected actors. To do so, our regenerative design practice allows participants to search for, promote, and expand existing practices of relationality, a focus we argue have been missing in the existing research on regenerative design. Drawing upon our research with industrial farmers in Norway, we illustrate how even the most modernist farmers care for their plants and soil. From this acknowledgement, we build a method for an inclusive regenerative design practice for identifying solutions to complex socio-environmental problem.
Keywords
Regenerative design, posthuman theory, design-driven innovation, participatory research
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1898
Citation
Baann, C., Ralston, B., Falk-Andersson, J., and Barkved, L.J. (2026) Creating a regenerative design practice that gives back to people and planet: Lessons from stakeholder interactions in industrial agriculture, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1898
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Included in
Creating a regenerative design practice that gives back to people and planet: Lessons from stakeholder interactions in industrial agriculture
This paper considers the development of a regenerative design practice as a grounded and participatory method that fosters sustainable design and solutions, sensitive to relational practices and values, even when these are thought to be negligible. We draw upon theories of ecological relationality, in combination with posthuman theory, to argue that holistic regenerative design should aim to foster ownership of the design processes amongst affected actors. To do so, our regenerative design practice allows participants to search for, promote, and expand existing practices of relationality, a focus we argue have been missing in the existing research on regenerative design. Drawing upon our research with industrial farmers in Norway, we illustrate how even the most modernist farmers care for their plants and soil. From this acknowledgement, we build a method for an inclusive regenerative design practice for identifying solutions to complex socio-environmental problem.