152
• The evolutionary potential of the specific design or adaptation challenge (pot).
I concluded that the fundamental principles of the Regenerative-Adaptive Pattern Language are
present in the ‘notion of regenerative-adaptive patterns’ equation. These fundamental principles are
always linked in one way or the other to the fundamental patterns of the language.
These are:
• Any place, built or natural environment always have the challenge of adaptation to forces that
impacts its environment; these present itself in typical design, planning and development challenges (nda);
• Forces of change are continuously present that impact on the place, as well as on the adaptation
patterns that occur. These forces induce change in the natural as well as the built environment (f ı );
• The place settings specific to location are interconnected to its centres (the fundamental primary
entities
3
), and change of the centres happens in the dynamics of time; some are immediate, others
in short periods, and others over long periods of time (std);
• Transformations [of wholeness] specific to place are always present. These transformations
(referred to as the 15 fundamental properties [of wholeness]
4
), at any given moment are part of an
order structure (Alexander et al., 2012, p. 431), which we may identify as the wholeness of that
place or system (tsp 15 );
• One or various examples of the specific core patterns occur in the place, and can be described and
identified. These core patterns are never independent, or alone in existence. They are always interconnected to other patterns and entities (upwards or downwards), including to the fundamental
patterns; they connect and form wholeness, and follow a set of rules part of a generative code (e ı );
• Essentially nature evolves and adapts to improve; regeneration works at different levels of scale and
produces a field within which the improvement of living systems can take place. Design can assist
in the healing of places that are damaged, and must be based on regenerative attributes (r1); and
• The potential of specific design or adaptation challenges can provide opportunities to assist a community (human and ecological) to evolve the value-generating capacity of their system as a whole,
identifying their adaptive, evolutionary potential
5
(pot).
The principles of the Regenerative-Adaptive Pattern Language as described above and presented
in the ‘notion of regenerative-adaptive patterns’ equation demonstrate the premises of the regenerative paradigm to include the role of humans and nature, working together in a developmental process
that improves the value of the whole. This includes the opportunities of co- evolution due to the impacts
of changes. The six concepts, as defined by Mang and Reed (2012), of regeneration, development and
design, place, pattern literacy, story, and potential are supported by the ‘notion of regenerative-adaptive patterns’ as part of the Regenerative-Adaptive Pattern Language. Further, the forces of change to
a place need to be taken into consideration, and the dynamics of adaptation are added to the
regenerative- adaptive pattern language process.
To be able to test this new regenerative- adaptive pattern language theory at a specific place, the
Regenerative-Adaptive Design Model was developed and used to combine the principles of regenerative-adaptive design and a pattern language with a risk-based adaptation process. The goal is that this
3 Alexander and Neis explained the essence of centres of the whole as ‘each centre is recursively dependant on other
coherent centres for its own coherence. To understand this idea is to define all centres in this way, as the fundamental
primary entities’ [of a place] (Alexander et al., 2012, p. 430).
4 See Chap. 9, Sect. 9.6 for a detailed explanation of the term ‘15 Fundamental Properties of Wholeness.’
5 Potential is defined as the inherent capacity for coming into being, for growth and development. From the living systems theory perspective, all living systems are distinguished by a unique essence, and all have, based on that uniqueness,
an inherent potential to which they are moving toward or away, depending on their state of integrity and vitality or
health. Regenerative design identifies the patterns that reveal the underlying energy flows (Lyle, 1991), including the
actual and the potential that shape that system (Capra, 1996; Von Bertalanffy, 1968).
10 A Regenerative-Adaptive Pattern Language
• The evolutionary potential of the specific design or adaptation challenge (pot).
I concluded that the fundamental principles of the Regenerative-Adaptive Pattern Language are
present in the ‘notion of regenerative-adaptive patterns’ equation. These fundamental principles are
always linked in one way or the other to the fundamental patterns of the language.
These are:
• Any place, built or natural environment always have the challenge of adaptation to forces that
impacts its environment; these present itself in typical design, planning and development challenges (nda);
• Forces of change are continuously present that impact on the place, as well as on the adaptation
patterns that occur. These forces induce change in the natural as well as the built environment (f ı );
• The place settings specific to location are interconnected to its centres (the fundamental primary
entities
3
), and change of the centres happens in the dynamics of time; some are immediate, others
in short periods, and others over long periods of time (std);
• Transformations [of wholeness] specific to place are always present. These transformations
(referred to as the 15 fundamental properties [of wholeness]
4
), at any given moment are part of an
order structure (Alexander et al., 2012, p. 431), which we may identify as the wholeness of that
place or system (tsp 15 );
• One or various examples of the specific core patterns occur in the place, and can be described and
identified. These core patterns are never independent, or alone in existence. They are always interconnected to other patterns and entities (upwards or downwards), including to the fundamental
patterns; they connect and form wholeness, and follow a set of rules part of a generative code (e ı );
• Essentially nature evolves and adapts to improve; regeneration works at different levels of scale and
produces a field within which the improvement of living systems can take place. Design can assist
in the healing of places that are damaged, and must be based on regenerative attributes (r1); and
• The potential of specific design or adaptation challenges can provide opportunities to assist a community (human and ecological) to evolve the value-generating capacity of their system as a whole,
identifying their adaptive, evolutionary potential
5
(pot).
The principles of the Regenerative-Adaptive Pattern Language as described above and presented
in the ‘notion of regenerative-adaptive patterns’ equation demonstrate the premises of the regenerative paradigm to include the role of humans and nature, working together in a developmental process
that improves the value of the whole. This includes the opportunities of co- evolution due to the impacts
of changes. The six concepts, as defined by Mang and Reed (2012), of regeneration, development and
design, place, pattern literacy, story, and potential are supported by the ‘notion of regenerative-adaptive patterns’ as part of the Regenerative-Adaptive Pattern Language. Further, the forces of change to
a place need to be taken into consideration, and the dynamics of adaptation are added to the
regenerative- adaptive pattern language process.
To be able to test this new regenerative- adaptive pattern language theory at a specific place, the
Regenerative-Adaptive Design Model was developed and used to combine the principles of regenerative-adaptive design and a pattern language with a risk-based adaptation process. The goal is that this
3 Alexander and Neis explained the essence of centres of the whole as ‘each centre is recursively dependant on other
coherent centres for its own coherence. To understand this idea is to define all centres in this way, as the fundamental
primary entities’ [of a place] (Alexander et al., 2012, p. 430).
4 See Chap. 9, Sect. 9.6 for a detailed explanation of the term ‘15 Fundamental Properties of Wholeness.’
5 Potential is defined as the inherent capacity for coming into being, for growth and development. From the living systems theory perspective, all living systems are distinguished by a unique essence, and all have, based on that uniqueness,
an inherent potential to which they are moving toward or away, depending on their state of integrity and vitality or
health. Regenerative design identifies the patterns that reveal the underlying energy flows (Lyle, 1991), including the
actual and the potential that shape that system (Capra, 1996; Von Bertalanffy, 1968).
10 A Regenerative-Adaptive Pattern Language