A regenerative sustainability framework: examining regenerative sustainability principles, practices, and potential for urban sustainability transformations

Kate Prendergast
Local Environment, The International Journal of Justice and Sustainability | July 2026

Summary

Transforming cities towards sustainable futures is urgent. Yet the piecemeal and largely technocratic approaches that dominate urban sustainability efforts are insufficient to address the scale and complexity of the transformations needed. The emerging paradigm of “regenerative sustainability” offers promise for challenging business-as-usual approaches and the systems and structures that perpetuate unsustainable pathways in cities. As interest in regenerative sustainability grows, greater conceptual clarity is needed, alongside a deeper understanding of its principles and implications for urban transformation.

This review examines how regenerative sustainability is defined, discussed, and applied in the literature. Through a systematic literature review and thematic analysis, it identifies four core principles: regenerative sustainability is grounded in holistic and integrated worldviews; emerges through dynamic processes; is situated and place-based; and seeks to enhance collective flourishing for all life. Key associated practices include systems, futures, circular, relational, participatory, and nature-based approaches.

Drawing on these findings, the paper proposes a novel “Regenerative Sustainability Framework” and defines regenerative sustainability as: holistic worldviews and collaborative, context-sensitive processes that support the ongoing capacity of all human and non-human life to flourish, now and in the future. The paper explores the potential of regenerative sustainability to support urban transformations and identifies opportunities to strengthen research, policy, and practice, including through a more explicit focus on equity and justice.

Further Reading