The Restoration Economy [Hardcover]

Storm Cunningham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2002

The Restoration Economy chronicles the previously undocumented trillion-dollar global industry that is revitalizing our natural and man-made environments. Storm Cunningham explores the rapid rise of restorative development, details how the information age is catalyzing the transition from development to restoration, and demonstrates how restoration is "greening" residential, commercial, and public construction. The book is an entertaining blend of business, science, and economics designed to help readers understand the restoration economy and to inspire business and government leaders to focus resources on this new economic sector.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Any companies or consultants looking for new markets must read The Restoration Economy! -- Pamela J. Gordon, CMC, President, Technology Forecasters, Inc

The Restoration Economy is required reading here at Weston Solutions. It has been indispensable in helping us refocus our strategy -- Bill Robertson, Chairman, Weston Solutions

The Restoration Economy is without a doubt the most important and valuable business book I have read in many years -- Don Pross, Urban revitalization planner

This book is an original, a first! I profited from it greatly, and I quote from it in my speeches -- William H. Hudnut III, former 4-term Mayor of Indianapolis Senior Fellow - Urban Land Institute

This is a landmark work, extremely well written and developed -- Mark Stewart, Senior Vice President, Intrado, Inc.

From the Publisher

"This book is an original, a first! I profited from it greatly, and I quote from it in my speeches, especially regarding the importance of restoration in the economic life cycle. Cunningham convincingly demonstrates that tremendous markets for new products and services hide just beneath the surface of the deteriorating assets in our natural and built environments. He points us toward restorative development as a smarter, more economically compelling alternative to sprawling new development." —William H. Hudnut, III, 4-term Mayor of Indianapolis

"This is a landmark work, extremely well written and developed. This book really opened my eyes on a topic that I had never before considered. I was relieved to see that there is a good and reasonable solution to the ruinous policies of unbridled new development." —Mark Stewart, CEO, iAccess Communications

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 300 pages
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers; 1 edition (November 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576751910
• ISBN-13: 978-1576751916
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,042,036 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Storm Cunningham is author of The Restoration Economy, (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Nov. 2002) and Rewealth! (McGraw-Hill, 2008).

He is CEO of Resolution Fund, LLC in Washington, DC. He founded Revitalization Institute, the global non-profit academy for community renewal and natural resource restoration, now based in Toronto, Canada (www.Revitalization.org). He is Distinguished Visiting Professor at Seneca College, Canada's largest college.

Storm is the leading professional public speaker and consultant on the global trend towards restorative development.

Links to all of Storm's books, organizations, and activities can be found at www.rewealth.com.

Email Storm at [e-mail], or call him at 202-204-3040 (Washington DC, USA)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Restoration Economy will help put a focus on your future, November 13, 2002

By 

Bill Halvorson (Tucson, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Restoration Economy (Hardcover)

The Restoration Economy, the Greatest New Growth Frontier by Storm Cunningham is a book that bridges the gap between business/ development and conservation/landscape management. Those with a business bent will find that it brings into focus what most of us have seen over the last few decades, a shift is taking place from new development being primary to redevelopment and restoration being primary. It explains a lot about the trends in redevelopment and gives great insights into where business might concentrate as more and more oportunities present themselves to restore the built environment we all live in. Making brownfields and industrial sites more livable; rehabilitating highways and bridges; upgrading water and waste water facilities; rebuilding after wars and natural disasters; and recreating historic sites and structures are all actions of the restoration economy. Cunningham does a superb job of showing how these activities are all pointing us in one direction: making our built environment more livable. But the story does not end there. As a society we are now also heavily involved in the restoration of forests, prairies, farms, wetlands, fisheries, etc, etc, etc. This is because humans have now been everywhere on earth, and almost everywhere that humans have been, we have left a mess that needs to be cleaned up. This provides literally thousands of oportunities for businesses, large and small, to get involved in clean up and restoration. By reading this book, one not only gets a sense of where business will be going in the future, one also gets the sense that as a society it is time to intergrate the management of built and natural environments into one comprehensive whole. This book helps us all understand more completely that the disparate sectors of our economy that have been involved in various phases of restoration now are feeling the pressure of a coming together. The more there is a coming together, the more effective will be the process of making landscapes livable throughout the world.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Restoration Economy is a Worthwhile Read, October 24, 2002

By 

Andrea Davis (Eureka, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Restoration Economy (Hardcover)

Storm Cunningham's The Restoration Economy: The Greatest New Growth Frontier: Immediate & Emerging Opportunities for Businesses, Communities & Investors is a worthwhile read for all. Businesses, unions, economic development leaders, and conservationists will truly find that this book is an exciting introduction to thinking outside the box when it comes to restoration. At last, a strong argument has been made that clearly articulates that restoration is not a "donation" to be given back to society. Indeed, restoration of both built and natural environments can be seen as fee for service and a strong source of economic vitality across the board. As the author points out, not only do communities and the natural environment benefit from restoration, but restoration can provide a strong platform for successful businesses and cutting edge economic development. In a style not unlike that of Paul Hawkin, Storm Cunningham has gifted us with a visionary yet pragmatic perspective of a bureoning Restoration Economy across multiple sectors of our current economy. It is likely that many currently unfamiliar to the promise of restoration such as bussiness, unions, and economic development leaders will find the book a useful tool in providing baseline arguements and understanding. For those already versed in the potential of restoration, this book will only strengthen and further legitimize your own efforts to advance restoration.