A Knowledge Commons for Regenerating Our Land, Water, and Local Communities
Here is a site masterplan–level permaculture zoning map tailored explicitly to the Westfall Road proposal. The design is grounded in the programmatic structure of the concept document (watershed spine, canopy commons, regenerative landscape, access network), but translated it into a permaculture spatial logic. It is presented in three layers: Conceptual zoning map (what goes where […]
A Living Systems Commons for the Town of Brighton, NY Site: Town-owned 27-acre parcel on Westfall Road Municipality: Brighton Purpose: Transform a municipally owned parcel into a high-visibility ecological demonstration landscape that integrates watershed protection, climate resilience, education, and community wellbeing — while serving as a replicable model for suburban regeneration. 1. Why This Site […]
(Click to enlarge) Seeing the Genesee–Finger Lakes as a Living Bioregion To look at the Genesee Finger Lakes Bioregion through a bioregional lens is to stop seeing it as a set of counties, cities, or tourist destinations and begin seeing it as a living system—shaped by ice and water, animated by human cultures, altered by […]
Building bioregional intelligence is the practice of developing a “terrain of consciousness”—a collective ability for communities to see, think, and act as part of their local ecological systems. It shifts focus from arbitrary political borders to natural boundaries like watersheds, soil types, and climate patterns to organize human activity regeneratively. Core Components of Bioregional Intelligence […]
1) What it should mean for GFL to be a “node” in a planetary bioregional network Practically, a node is not a branding claim; it is a reproducible operating system for place-based intelligence that can interoperate with other bioregions. For the Genesee Finger Lakes (GFL), I would define “node” as having four things working […]
(This is the earliest account we’ve found of the bioregion. Reprinted with permission from the author.) The area bordered by the Genesee River to the West, Lake Ontario to the north, the four western Finger Lakes to the south, and the drumlin fields from the most eastern of the Finger Lakes (Honeoye) up toward Lake Ontario, […]