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c. Design

The Design

Where systemic wisdom meets participatory practice

The Five Spheres: A Tapestry of Vitality

Our evaluation framework mirrors life’s complexity by honoring five interconnected spheres of vitality. These are not silos but living currents that shape—and are shaped by—every regenerative action:

Sphere What We Measure Example Indicators
Ecological The dance of soil, water, and biodiversity Mycelial network density - Pollinator diversity - Watershed regeneration rates
Social The invisible threads of trust and collaboration Self-reported fairness - Conflict resolution speed - Youth leadership engagement
Cultural The stories and rituals that bind communities to place Oral histories preserved - Stewardship role adoption - Language revitalization
Political The flow of power and accountability Decision-making transparency - Resource allocation equity - Civic participation
Economic The alchemy of resources into shared abundance Local currency circulation - Cooperative revenue growth - Waste-to-value streams

These spheres breathe together. During an [[action-learning journey]] in Accra, youth-led recycling hubs didn’t just reduce plastic—they rewired economic flows (creating jobs), political trust (co-designing with elders), and cultural pride (reviving traditional craft motifs).

The Eight Capitals: Nourishing Regenerative Wealth

We track eight forms of capital that sustain thriving systems:
1. Natural 🌱 (forests, soil)
2. Social 👥 (trust networks)
3. Human 🧠 (skills, health)
4. Cultural 🎨 (stories, rituals)
5. Political 🏛️ (governance capacity)
6. Financial 💰 (regenerative currencies)
7. Built 🏗️ (resilient infrastructure)
8. Digital 💻 (open-source tools)

Example: A Welsh village’s bioregional learning center measures success not by tourist numbers, but by how these capitals interweave—elder-led storytelling (cultural) training youth in permaculture (human), while a [[Speech-to-Currency]] DAO turns shared wisdom into microgrants (financial).

Stages of Learning: From Soil to Story

  1. Baselining
  2. Listening to the land’s memory: Co-create health parameters with communities using participatory mapping and [[developmental evaluation|relational audits]].

  3. Tool: Sensor networks measure baseline soil pH; elders share oral histories of seasonal cycles.

  4. Live Signals

  5. Feeling the pulse: Real-time data streams from IoT devices, [[bot arrays]], and community pulse checks.

  6. Tool: Telegram bots collect daily reflections during docs/Glossary/Enactment phases.

  7. Insights

  8. Weaving patterns: Mixed-method analysis reveals hidden connections (e.g., how compost workshops boosted neighborly trust).

  9. Tool: [[Causal Loop Diagrams]] co-drawn in Warm Data Labs.

  10. Story-Making

  11. Breathing data into meaning: Transform metrics into narratives that sing.
  12. Tool: Elders and youth co-create digital “story looms” using [[Holochain|decentralized storytelling platforms]].

Data Alchemy: Honoring the Seen and Unseen

We gather:
- Quantitative: Sensor metrics - Tokenized contributions - Resource flow dashboards
- Qualitative: Voice journals - Embodied Systemic Constellations - Grievance redress logs
- Relational: Trust network maps - Conflict transformation timelines - Ceremony participation rates

In practice: During a Guatemalan coffee cooperative’s evaluation, soil moisture sensors (quantitative) merged with women’s weaving-circle dialogues (qualitative) to reveal how shade-grown practices deepened intergenerational bonds (relational).

The Accra Revelation

When youth in Accra’s living lab launched a plastic-upcycling DAO, our framework captured:
- Ecological: 12 tons diverted from landfills (but also restored mangrove microhabitats)
- Cultural: Revival of Adinkra symbol-carving in recycled art
- Political: Co-governance pact between elders and tech-savvy youth
- Economic: [[Capital Distribution|community token]] circulating across 14 microbusinesses

The data didn’t just measure—it invited. Neighboring villages now adapt the model through [[process infrastructuring]], seeding a bioregional movement.