From Sustainability to Regeneration: Mapping the Conceptual Foundations and Future Directions of Regenerative Development

Abstract

This paper investigates the theoretical and conceptual foundations of regenerative development and its relationship to sustainable development. Amid deepening global polycrises and growing disenchantment with the term “sustainability,” there is increasing interest in regeneration as a paradigm that moves beyond harm reduction and efficiency towards fostering systemic vitality and co-evolution. Using an integrative review method, this study employs bibliometric analysis and narrative synthesis to examine how regeneration and regenerative development are defined, how they relate to, and differ from, sustainable development, and what research gaps remain. The bibliometric co-word analysis of 1,131 Scopus-indexed documents identifies three primary thematic clusters: regenerative design and development, urban renewal, and natural regeneration. The literature shows growing interest in regenerative design and development across different fields, yet most research remains at the conceptual level. The narrative synthesis further distinguishes regenerative development from sustainability through its grounding in living systems, as well as its orientation towards "aliveness", which emerges through transformations that promote wholeness. The regenerative mindset is also introduced as a mental and behavioral framework that enables transformation through holistic thinking, reflexive practice, mutualistic relationships, diverse perspectives, and agentic approaches. Key challenges in the field include unclear definitions, limited empirical evidence, a weak focus on equity, potentially marginalised indigenous knowledge systems, and paucity of context-specific qualitative tools and metrics. Advancing theory and application will further require a more profound understanding of the regenerative mindset. Fundamentally, however, regenerative development does not replace sustainability - rather, it expands its foundations to support life's ongoing potential to thrive.