Today is the era for self-sustaining communities. Startup company, ReGen Villages, is collaborating with a Dutch architectural firm to create self-sustaining communities that would grow their own food and produce their own energy.
Off-Grid, Sustainable Design
James Ehrlich, founder of ReGen Villages, has commissioned the help of Danish architectural firm, EFFEKT, to create ReGen Villages. These are planned off-grid communities that seek to address issues ranging from climate change to food security using sustainable design. They plan to start building these utopian communities this summer of 2017.
According to Inhabitat, people living in these communities will have homes that are designed for sustainable living. They're powered by photovoltaic solar panels that also have passive heating and cooling system, eliminating the need to use electricity even in extreme temperatures.
Communities with 'Shared Local Ecosystems'
"Families can even grow their own vegetables and fruits in connected greenhouses near their homes. This way, they can have a 'shared local ecosystem,' " said Ehrlich.
According to deZeen, the villages themselves have public squares that are equipped with electric car charging stations. There are also verticla aquaponic farming spaces. The community also shares water storage facilities and waste-to-resource systems. All of these, as well as areas for livestock, communal dining, community learning centers, and playgrounds can be found in each ReGen Village.
EFFEKT partner, Simon Lynge, told Dezeen that the modern lifestyle in modern cities is unsustainable, and this calls for more resilient solutions for the future of mankind.
Given that the technology already exists, it's just a matter of applying science into "the architecture of everyday life."
He believes ReGen Villages will usher the engineering and facilitation of off-grid, integrated and resilient neighborhoods that have more than enough to power and feed self-reliant families around the world.
ReGen already plans to go next level with the first of its community to be built in the Netherlands in the summer. They also have pilot projects in Germany, Norway, Sweden and Denmark, as well as communities planned for the United Arab Emirates, China and Africa.