The 12 Sectors of Restorative Development

The global restoration economy can be subdivided into twelve component sectors or "restorable assets."  For each of these sectors, there is a corresponding "industry" (including non-profits, government agencies, & foundations), and a body of scientific, social, economic, engineering, architectural, and/or planning knowledge. 

The 12 sectors of restorable assets (listed below) comprise one of two axes along which we integrate policies, programs, and strategies. [The other axis comprises the 5 stakeholder groups: Business, government, academic, NGO, and citizen.]

Four sectors primarily restore the natural environment:

•  Ecosystem restoration
  •  Any project/program whose restorative activities are primarily aimed at increasing biodiversity/ecological health of a given habitat (or former habitat).
•  Watershed restoration
  •  Any project/program whose restorative activities are primarily aimed at increasing water quantity, quality, &/or flow characteristics (surface and aquifer).
  •  Obvious examples: Forests, rivers/streams, lakes.
  •  Less obvious examples: Urban & suburban landscapes.
•  Fisheries restoration
  • Any project/program whose restorative activities are primarily aimed at improving commercial &/or recreational fishing.  Those activities could be focused on restoring breeding habitat, water quality/quantity, managing harvests to allow for rebound, etc.
  •  Four major categories of fisheries are freshwater, coastal/estuaries, reefs, pelagic.
•  Agricultural lands restoration
  •  Farms/ranches
  •  Agroforestry
  •  Aquaculture

Four sectors primarily restore the built environment:

• Brownfields remediation/redevelopment
  •  Industrial sites
  •  Ports/railyards/airports
  •  Military bases, etc.
• Infrastructure renovation/redesign/replacement
  •  Transportation
  •  Power
  •  Water/sewage
  •  Solid waste
  •  Telecommunication
• Heritage restoration
  •  Historic sites & structures
• Catastrophe recovery/reconstruction
  • Social: Urban blight, crime, education, unemployment, etc.
  • Disaster/war: Natural disasters, industrial disasters, armed conflicts, etc.
  • Economic disaster: Embargoes, loss of subsidies/aid, military base closures, etc.
  • This sector includes both sudden catastrophes (like hurricanes), and gradual catastrophes (dying cities).  Besides simply rebuilding, catastrophes can be "used' to stimulate redevelopment (such as infrastructure “leapfrogging”), and restorative development can be used to prevent catastrophes.

Four sectors primarily restore the socioeconomic environment:

• Commerce
  • Economic growth & industrial policies
  • Strategies and planning related to commercial districts
  • Entrepreneurial support services
• Social Services & Security
  • Healthcare (allopathic & traditional)
  • Aid (victims, children, refugees, homeless, unemployed, etc.)
  • Police/Justice/Military
• Education
  • Elementary & secondary
  • 4-year colleges, research universities, etc.
  • Skills/crafts/technical training facilities
• Culture
  • Traditions (language, cuisine, etc.)
  • Spiritual (worldviews, religions, etc.)
  • Aesthetic (arts, crafts, games, sports, etc.)

Integrated Restoration is project-focused restorative development, meaning that it has a deadline, and is usually focused on a specific short-term objective.

Integrated Revitalization is ongoing, program-oriented restorative development, usually focused on a community, region, or nation.  It tends to go beyond integrating the twelve sectors, including other factors such as political, policies, legal (such as restorative justice following armed conflict), etc.