The Restoration Economy: The Greatest New Growth Frontier

by Storm Cunningham. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., San Francisco, 2002. Hardcover, 341 pages, $29.95

The Restoration Economy,

outlines how industries that focus on restoration—“redeveloping our nations, revitalizing our cities, and rehabilitating our ecosystems”—will be the major area of economic growth in this century. Restoration, according to Cunningham, is about thoughtfully managing the domains we already occupy in order to make them more productive, resilient, and authentic.

Cunningham describes a restoration economy in terms of two sectors: the natural environment and the built environment. Within each sector he explores four “industries.” The natural environment industries are ecosystems, watersheds, fisheries, and farms; the built environment industries are brownfields, infrastructure, heritage, and disaster.

The Restoration Economy is written as a business book. Builders and designers will enjoy reading the book for its memorable anecdotes and for its discussion of the restoration of buildings. Of particular interest to green builders is Cunningham’s discussion of adaptive reuse. He cites a U.S. National Park and Wildlife Amendment Bill from 2001 that defines adaptive reuse to include only modifications carried out in a sustainable manner, conserving the natural and cultural values of the land and buildings.

Cunningham does an admirable job of touching on issues of crisis and restoration from around the world, and from all his selected industries. He writes in a vernacular tone, including an abundance of exclamation points, personal asides, and some overtones of righteous indignation. Perhaps one-third of the print space is devoted to sidebars, lengthy quotes, and bullet points. Case studies and quotes come from notables such as Simone Weil, the Book of Genesis, and

Washington Post columnists.

The Restoration Economy is a good read, though its subject matter is too broad for in-depth analysis. The logic of creating economic opportunities out of restoration work is sound, and the case studies that flesh out these principles are inspiring and memorable.

– CK