Integrated Revitalization Initiative^™

More Information (continued from main IR Initiative page)

As "the alliance for community renewal and natural resource restoration", both our membership and our research/education programs are naturally integrative.  Restorative development is defined as “socioeconomic revitalization based on restoring the built and/or natural environments”. Integrated revitalization simply takes the "or" out of that definition: The power of Integrated Revitalization comes from programmatically restoring natural, built, and social assets together.

Integrating the restoration of built, natural, and social assets adds tremendous new value, while creating powerful efficiencies and synergies.  In other words, the costs decrease while the benefits increase.  This dynamic has been demonstrated and proven hundreds of times in cities and rural areas worldwide--such as in large brownfields redevelopments, estuary restorations, regional revitalizations, etc.—where powerful synergies and significant cost efficiencies have been enjoyed by integrating many forms of restorable assets. There are 12 sectors of restorable assets.

How It Works

Our Integrative Revitalization Initiative has three major aspects:

1. Research: See our Academic Network page to learn more. The Academic Network has four objectives:

   • Network existing pockets of restoration research worldwide;

   • Identify gaps in restorative development research, and plug them;

   • Merge new and existing research with the development of curricula and new degrees; and,

   • Facilitate related technology transfer.

2. Education: Our soon-to-be-announced Restorative Development "University" will aggregate the educational programs of al of the organizations in our 3 Networks, and will offer Revitalization Institute's own unique courses. Watch the monthly Revitalization Institute News for seminar announcements.

   • Examples of Revitalization Institutes own educational offerings (some will be done in partnership with our networked organizations) will provide continuing education and executive seminars on a broad variety of subjects related to integrated revitalization, such as "Integrated Brownfields Redevelopment", "Integrated Estuary/Coastal Revitalization", "Integrated Waterfront Redevelopment", "Integrated Rural Revitalization", "Integrated Fishery Restoration", etc.

3. Application: Our Integrated Revitalization Initiative Affiliate Program has been created to enable public revitalization efforts and private restoration/redevelopment projects to have ready access to companies, organizations, and universities that can help them apply integrated approaches to their work.

   • As a non-profit research and education organization supported by our members, Revitalization Institute does not actually perform restorative development, nor does it currently offer any fee-based services. Given the dire condition of many of our natural resources, and given the distressed condition of so many communities, regions, and nations around the world, it's important that integrated approaches to restorative development be applied by governments, NGOs, and private companies as quickly as possible. 

   • With this in mind, we have created an Affiliate Network for our Integrated Revitalization Initiative.  Now, communities, regional redevelopment agencies, government agencies at all levels, private developers, and non-profit organizations working for public and/or wildlife health can quickly find help.  Whether they need a university to help them with research; an AEC (architectural/engineering/construction) firm that has proven expertise in all twelve sectors of restorative development (and who knows how to integrate them); an economic/market analysis firm to do a feasibility study, or a strategic planning firm that can create a custom revitalization strategy for them, our Affiliate Network is the primary source of expertise that takes an integrated approach to socioeconomic revitalization and/or natural resource renewal. 

OK: That's Why You Should Integrate Your Restorative Development Activities,

but Why Should You Perform Restorative Development in the First Place?

Economic growth and increased quality of life can only be sustained if a society's economic model is based on increasing the efficiency and capacity of its built environment, and on increasing the health and productivity of its natural resources.  Natural resources are--directly or indirectly--the basis of all wealth on the planet.  This leads to three obvious conclusions:

1. New development (frontier mode) is only meant to establish a society: Staying in that mode too long is a rapid path to ruin.  An economic model that leaves fewer resources in its wake--such as extracting non-renewable fuels, or building on top of watersheds, farmlands, and wildlife habitat--is a path to inevitable bankruptcy and decreased quality of life.

2. Conservation (maintenance mode) only works as an economic model if applied from the very beginning of a society: Once extensive damage has been inflicted to natural resources--and once communities are in severe decline--it is merely a slower path to ruin. An economic model based primarily on maintaining what we've built and conserving what's left of our natural resources is inappropriate when the human population is above carrying capacity, and is still increasing.  It's also inappropriate when every square meter of the earth's surface is contaminated.  Merely trying to conserve some natural resources for future generations is a strategy that's doomed to failure when so many countries are still stuck in new development mode: Damage both new and old must be healed as quickly as possible if economic growth and increased quality of life is the goal.  "As quickly as possible" means that this healing must be a viable economic activity that is supported by government policies: It can't be based primarily on charity or taxes.

3. Restorative development is the only economic model that can create economic growth and increased quality of life, ad infinitum.  Restorative development, by definition, leaves increased health and wealth in the wake of every successful transaction. The restorative work performed by businesses, NGOs, and government agencies already accounts for well over a trillion dollars (U.S.) annually, worldwide.  The faster our public and private development entities switch from new development to restorative development, the faster our economy will grow, the faster our quality of life will improve, and faster our natural resources will come back to life.