Regenerative Design Is Redefining Climate Infrastructure

The impacts of extreme weather are no longer a future concern; they are a present reality overwhelming infrastructure and endangering communities. Record-breaking heatwaves, wildfires, floods, and storms are pushing our built environment to its breaking point. In response, designers must lead with two complementary mindsets: resilience—the ability to withstand shocks and “bounce back”—and regeneration—the ability to restore and renew the systems that protect and sustain us.

UNDERSTANDING TODAY’S CLIMATE RISKS 

Extreme weather refers to events such as storms, floods, droughts, heat waves, or wildfires that go beyond what has historically been considered “normal” for a given region. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) defines these as statistically rare events—the top or bottom 10% of what has been observed over a long-term record.¹ This means storms dumping far more rainfall or snowfall than average, heat waves lasting longer than any previously recorded, droughts extending well beyond a growing season, or so-called “100-year floods” now occurring every decade or less.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) confirms that climate extremes will increase in frequency, intensity, and duration:²

• Near-term (to 2040): Climate extremes such as heat waves, heavy rainfall, and drought are unavoidable due to past and current emissions.

• Mid-term (2041-2060): Without deep emission cuts, global warming is likely to exceed 2°C, triggering widespread hazards and irreversible changes.

• Long-term (2100): Outcomes depend on action taken today. Under high emissions, temperatures could rise 3.3-5.7°C, making today’s “extreme” weather the norm, accelerating sea-level rise, and destabilizing ecosystems.

The IPCC emphasizes that every fraction of a degree matters. The greater the warming, the more severe and frequent the events. Understanding these risks is the foundation for why resilience and regeneration are so critical.

WHY CURRENT STANDARDS FALL SHORT 

Our built environment was designed for a climate that no longer exists. Rising seas, hotter summers, and frequent storms now strain codes and infrastructure built for the past. Events once considered “once in a lifetime” are now occurring with troubling regularity.

The recent devastating floods across Texas and New Mexico make this reality painfully clear: more than 130 lives—many of them children—were lost, neighborhoods submerged, thousands stranded, and billions of dollars in damage left behind.

These tragedies underscore a sobering truth: yesterday’s standards cannot protect us from today’s climate—let alone the challenges ahead.

CLIMATE REALITY: A CLOSER LOOK AT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 

In fact, Southern California offers a powerful example of how overlapping climate risks—drought, fire, and flood—complicate long-term planning and highlight the need for a design mindset that goes beyond simple resilience.

In February 2023, the collapse of Goodwin & Sons Market in Crestline under record snowpack revealed the vulnerability of infrastructure to a single, overwhelming shock. Less than two years later, in January 2025, years of drought combined with powerful Santa Ana winds turned the region into a tinderbox, fueling the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires. These mega-wildfires left hillsides stripped of vegetation and unable to absorb water, setting the stage for catastrophic debris flows and mudslides.

This cycle makes clear the limits of resilience alone. Defensive measures might protect a single building, but they cannot address cascading risks. Regenerative approaches restore entire systems—replanting watersheds, stabilizing soil, and improving water absorption—to break the destructive cycle altogether. Full ecosystem restoration can take decades to hundreds of years, and in some cases, the ecosystem may never return to its original state.

The updated 2026 California Building Code—effective January 1, 2026—reflects this growing recognition of interconnected risks, introducing new requirements for fire protection (through adoption of the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code with California-specific amendments) and enhanced air sealing. Southern California is just one example. Cities across the country are facing similar realities.

CLIMATE REALITY: CHARLESTON, SC: “THE WATER REMEMBERS” 

Charleston offers another vivid example. On average, the city sits about 20 feet above sea level, but in some neighborhoods that figure drops to just three feet. With every storm surge or heavy rainfall, these low-lying areas echo an old saying: “the water remembers.” In Charleston, the water remembers where the marshes once were. Generations of development filled wetlands to make way for neighborhoods and roads, but each rainstorm proves nature has not forgotten. Water seeps back, flooding streets, basements, and businesses as it follows its historic paths.

This challenge extends well beyond Charleston’s urban core. In the rural Lowcountry, unchecked development is threatening fertile fishing grounds and salt marshes that families have depended on for generations. As expansion erodes these natural buffers, the landscapes that once absorbed floodwaters and supported livelihoods are disappearing—leaving both ecosystems and communities increasingly vulnerable.

For designers, Charleston shows why risk management must evolve: extreme weather is not an occasional disruption but a permanent design condition. Addressing it requires moving beyond defensive measures toward proactive, regenerative strategies that align with today’s climate realities. And the problem isn’t limited to storms: in Charleston, “sunny day” flooding during unusually high King Tides regularly inundates streets—even when there is no rain.

DESIGNING WITH—NOT AGAINST—NATURAL SYSTEMS 

Designing for climate resilience means working in concert with ecosystems that have protected regions for centuries. Nature offers proven models of defense and renewal—if we learn from them and translate those lessons into design.

Oyster reefs dissipate wave energy while supporting biodiversity. Marshlands slow and absorb floodwaters while filtering pollutants. Yet these systems alone can no longer keep pace with today’s intensifying climate. The challenge for designers is to extend and amplify what they already do well.

Hybrid strategies build on these principles: barriers that echo the form and function of oyster reefs, stormwater systems that mimic marshes, and floodable public spaces modeled after floodplains.

In Charleston, restoring wetlands where the Ashley and Cooper Rivers converge not only protects communities but also revitalizes critical habitats. Instead of building higher walls to keep nature out, regenerative design asks: What if the best defense is learning to flow with it?

THE CHALLENGE OF THE EXISTING BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Designing new construction for climate resilience is challenging enough, but adapting the vast stock of existing buildings is an even greater hurdle. In Charleston, for example, new construction is often elevated above flood levels through “freeboard” requirements. While this approach helps protect future development, it poses a dilemma for historic neighborhoods, where raising existing structures is prohibitively expensive and could compromise the architectural character and human scale of beloved streetscapes.

To guard against future flooding and storm surges, Charleston is moving forward with a $1 billion sea wall around the historic peninsula. However, it runs the risk of exacerbating flooding in lower-income neighborhoods further north as the water seeks other paths. While these areas don’t carry the exact enormous economic cost as the historic peninsula, we cannot ignore the potential crisis posed by rising waters—nor can we afford to worsen the problem.

California offers an instructive precedent. Following devastating earthquakes in the early 20th century, the state enacted the Field Act, which mandated seismic retrofits for schools.³ By aligning policy, funding, and design standards, California systematically strengthened vulnerable structures and created safer communities. The question now is: what lessons can we carry forward for climate adaptation?

A similar model for climate-sensitive regions could combine:

For designers, Charleston shows why risk management must evolve: extreme weather is not an occasional disruption but a permanent design condition. Addressing it requires moving beyond defensive measures toward proactive, regenerative strategies that align with today’s climate realities. And the problem isn’t limited to storms: in Charleston, “sunny day” flooding during unusually high King Tides regularly inundates streets—even when there is no rain.

DESIGNING WITH—NOT AGAINST—NATURAL SYSTEMS 

Designing for climate resilience means working in concert with ecosystems that have protected regions for centuries. Nature offers proven models of defense and renewal—if we learn from them and translate those lessons into design.

Oyster reefs dissipate wave energy while supporting biodiversity. Marshlands slow and absorb floodwaters while filtering pollutants. Yet these systems alone can no longer keep pace with today’s intensifying climate. The challenge for designers is to extend and amplify what they already do well.

Hybrid strategies build on these principles: barriers that echo the form and function of oyster reefs, stormwater systems that mimic marshes, and floodable public spaces modeled after floodplains.

In Charleston, restoring wetlands where the Ashley and Cooper Rivers converge not only protects communities but also revitalizes critical habitats. Instead of building higher walls to keep nature out, regenerative design asks: What if the best defense is learning to flow with it?