Regen Cities
Building regenerative urban futures

What is a regenerative city?

A regenerative city is one that fosters a restorative relationship with nature, while ensuring equity, dignity, and resilience for all its inhabitants. It goes beyond sustainability—actively improving the ecosystems it depends on, while nurturing the cultural, social, and economic vitality of its communities.

Imagine a regenerative city - one that:

  • Restores and enhance the natural systems that sustain urban life—air, water, soil, biodiversity
  • Ensures universal access to essential services such as water, sanitation, energy, food, and waste management
  • Promotes nature-positive infrastructure, including housing, mobility, and public space, that regenerates rather than depletes
  • Embodies a renewed social contract, grounded in justice, inclusion, and shared prosperity

As urban leaders increasingly embrace this vision, networks like C40 Cities are advancing bold agendas toward inclusive, climate-resilient, and nature-positive cities. From Amsterdam’s circular economy strategy to Curitiba’s green mobility legacy, Kigali’s reforestation efforts, and Paris’ 15-minute city, a growing number of urban centers are paving the way toward regeneration.s

regenerative cities

« Cities are at the frontline of climate action, biodiversity protection, and social transformation. They are the ideal terrain to pioneer the well-being economy and regenerative development »

How we help regenerate cities

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Unlock natural solutions

We unlock local, nature-based solutions that address urban challenges while regenerating ecological and social systems
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Advise on urban development

We advise local governments, urban planners, and ecosystem actors on integrating a regenerative lens into urban development
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Local community partnerships

We promote place-based partnerships that bridge the public, private, and civic sectors in service of thriving urban communities
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Place-based regeneration

We advocate for urban regeneration that is culturally rooted, ecologically sound, and socially inclusive

regen cities building regenerative urban futures

Our impact so far

  • Structuring public-private alliances to co-design and finance regenerative urban development initiatives;
  • Supporting African SMEs delivering essential urban services (e.g. water, sanitation, energy, mobility) through technical assistance and access to finance;
  • Designing frameworks for resilient urban infrastructure centered on nature, equity, and long-term impact.

Case studies

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ESP Climate Hub : Mainstreaming regeneration in African Business Support

In order to accelerate the deployment of regenerative urban ecosystems, Regenopolis partnered with ES Partners to design a dedicated program embedding climate and nature considerations into the heart of SME support in Africa. Initially envisioned as a platform to catalyze regenerative city projects, this collaboration evolved into the creation of the ESP Climate Hub – a transversal initiative aiming to mainstream climate resilience, nature-positive development, and regenerative practices across all ESP activities.

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Regen Cities : A systemic framework for regenerative urban development

Regen Cities is a flagship program developed by Regenopolis in 2022 to support the emergence of regenerative urban ecosystems across Africa. It aims to bridge the gap between impactful local solutions and investment capital by building enabling infrastructure for project origination, incubation, and financing. The program is structured around three integrated pillars : Regen Hubs (local project incubators), Regen Tech (access to vetted solutions), and Regen Capital (a blended finance platform).

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CityLab Africa : Co-Creating the Cities of Tomorrow

CityLab Africa was an initiative launched in 2019 by the French Presidential Council for Africa (CPA), in partnership with makesense Africa. The project was designed and coordinated by Diane Binder, informed by the emergence of Regenopolis. It aimed to catalyze collaborative innovation for sustainable African cities by bridging local ecosystems and French stakeholders through multi-stakeholder project design and acceleration.

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