Housing. It’s frequently followed by “crisis,” “problem,” or “timebomb.” More people than not live in cities throughout the world, which swells our metropolises and raises costs inexorably. However, one guy has a vision of an alternative way of life in which your house doubles as a farm, a water source, a power plant, and a high-tech neighborhood.
James Ehrlich, a tech entrepreneur and Stanford speaker, has spent years studying the best method for human groups to function. He has seen the same issue all throughout the world: cities are packed, rural regions are empty, and there is a no man’s land in between. The suburbs, which were once seen to be the embodiment of the American Dream, no longer provide the best of both worlds; rather, they lack the wildness and independence of the countryside and the thrill of a city’s brilliant lights.
But it shouldn’t be ruled out that there are little villages outside of big cities. According to a 2013 UNCTAD report, self-sufficient, hyper-local communities may be the only effective method to handle the population boom (50 billion people by 2050); here is where Ehrlich’s ReGen idea comes in.
“So many of our growing living problems may be solved by becoming smaller, smarter, and more sociable”
ReGen is the eco-community you’ve always wanted to construct but had no way of realizing. It uses technology to effectively create a Tesla version of a traditional hamlet. It provides a new middle ground since it is self-sufficient in terms of energy, waste, and food production yet extremely linked in every aspect. The dwellings ReGen is proposing are a far cry from the off-grid, hippie handcrafted constructions that frequently sprout up under the label “self-sufficient,” and they made their debut at the Danish pavilion at the Venice Biennial earlier this year. They were created by architects EFFEKT. These chic homes will function as integrated vertical farms and be power positive, run on renewable energy, connected by the Internet of Things.
It seeks to be a new approach that does no damage and demonstrates that smaller, smarter, and more sociable could be the answer to overcoming many of our growing living challenges in light of water crises, global warming, and greater environmental stress due to excessive agricultural production.
Food for thought
“Today, we used 40% of our continents’ surface area to grow food. The single largest source of deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and freshwater consumption worldwide are all related to the food industry. ReGen is one of the better models that can be developed, according to Sinus Lynge, co-founder of EFFEKT. “We send our food from one end of the planet to another merely to squander 30% of the total output before consumption, and yet a seventh of the world’s population goes to bed hungry,” he adds.
Each ReGen community will be a closed loop that employs waste-to-resource systems, vertical gardens, aquaponics, water management, and aquaponics to reach a certain degree of off-grid reliance.
In a ReGen town, there will be food plants sprouting wherever you turn. According to Ehrlich, it is permaculture architecture. “We’ll be installing underground water cisterns, planting mature fruit trees and berry bushes, herbs and spices, setting up the seasonal farm gardens and small poultry areas before we build any dwellings,” the developer said.
The goal is to accomplish at least 50% self-sufficiency with many communities generating more than necessary, however they might not reach absolute self-sufficiency (the sites won’t be cultivating anything special like cacao or mango). Food (and energy) surpluses would be auctioned, with the proceeds returning to the village.
Ehrlich is aware that abundant, locally produced food may not only nourish a community but also assist close economic gaps before they develop into something more sinister.
“I’m sure we can achieve complete self-sufficiency in a developing nation like Africa or India, and that’s so wonderful. It lessens the strain on local and federal governments, and fantastic data from Stanford shows that these kinds of programs completely eliminate the possibility of someone being radicalized.
It’s not a commune…
Ehrlich is aware that tiny pods of up to 100 dwellings have the best chances of success according to his vast fieldwork. The same is true of communities that don’t rely on luck and instead have a defined constitution and a well-organized architectural framework (like any other commercial endeavor).
For a cost that everyone pays, “ReGen communities is a tech-integrated real estate development firm, so we would manage the food production, garbage, and energy services,” says Ehrlich. “An app keeps track of your efforts and lowers your charge if you volunteer in the vertical farms or anywhere else. It eliminates the stigma of individuals feeling like they have a grudge against their neighbor for working harder than them and the guilt felt by others for not working hard enough.
…and it’s not social engineering
ReGen is letting the social mix be determined by chance rather than selecting individuals who could create a nice community. You desire a home. Wait your turn after registering your interest.
For the first community, “many people have signed up,” claims Ehrlich. Although I’m hoping we have everyone from millennials to pensioners, we have had folks say they want to buy numerous properties for their extended family. However, it’s just like a deli counter, you take a ticket and go in line. People who wish to create their own eco-house or commune but find the process too difficult have shown a lot of interest in us. We eliminated every risk and problem.
The first ReGen community was established in Almere, a tranquil area of Holland, rather than on expensive Californian property where Ehrlich is based, despite the fact that the houses are slightly more expensive than average residences. The main goal of ReGen is to promote thriving and varied communities.
We must address the issue of water; we must store it, utilize it, save it, and we will build oases that will alter the ecology.
The first nation Ehrlich addressed was Denmark, which was formerly seen as a leader in sustainable initiatives but fell short after a change in leadership. Holland grabbed it.
The Dutch are quite aspirational. It was great that they booked a banquet hall and invited 100 university stakeholders, business leaders, and representatives from the tech and industry to address us.
But it involves more than simply one town. ReGen has agreements in place with Sweden, Belgium, Germany, Norway, and Denmark to construct its tech-integrated neighborhoods, which are frequently located adjacent to fast transportation hubs and academic research facilities. After they start construction this year, attention will shift to the Middle East and North Africa, where a more difficult environment awaits.
The water problem must be resolved, says Ehrlich. We must preserve it, utilize it, and build oases that will alter the ecology.
Dream home or only a fantasy? The conditions are in place for ReGen to succeed, and if it does, the suburbs may finally become our collective ideal location.