Civil +

Civil + is design at the intersection of breadth of experience, depth of understanding, and faith in God.

Horizontal (/ breadth, x) - from conceiving of the original business plan to making the first deposit in the bank ...

Vertical (/ depth, y) - from time in the seat of a dozer to time in the seat of your desk at the office ...

Central (/ core, z) - how your profession aligns with the Word of God ...

Our philosophy:

Grace (= luck) > only by grace / good luck are we introduced to God & His Word
Romans 12 (no excuses) and James 4:17 (to know what’s good and to not do it is a sin) > once introduced to the Word, we have no excuse to not obey it
Heart: God is love (1 John 4:8) - all knowing - and loves you & has plans for you (Jeremiah 29:11) > to know that the one all-powerful God - who created everything, including you - who has proven demonstrably his love for us by sending his only Son to be a living example of the Way, and to die for us - and that God loves you & has plans to benefit you ... how and why would you NOT want to obey such a God?
Mind: There is overwhelming evidence for God's existence (Bible most popular book ever; then "Pilgrim's Progress", "Case for Christ", "Case for Jesus", Dead Sea Scrolls; plus churches everywhere; and the Jew still exists ...)
As believers, we are commanded in the Great Commission (Matthew 28: 19-20) to share the Good News and be "fishers of men" (Matt 4:19) …
(Blaise) Pascal’s Bargain > If there is a God, and you obey his commands, then you win ... but even if there isn't a God and you've been faithful, you still win as you will have lived a universally honorable life, and accordingly built a good reputation that will carry on into the future...

Natural Law:

Regenerative civil design is an approach aligned with natural laws that seeks to go beyond traditional sustainability by designing infrastructure and systems that repair and revitalize the surrounding environment and society, rather than just minimizing harm. It views civil projects as interconnected parts of larger ecosystems, aiming for positive net-impacts on ecology, health, and society by emulating natural processes to enhance resource generation, improve community well-being, and restore ecological function.

Key Principles & Goals:

Net-Positive Impact: The fundamental aim is to achieve outcomes that are beneficial and restorative, rather than just neutral or less negative.
Systems Thinking: Designs are developed by understanding complex, interconnected ecological and social systems and how human interventions influence them.
Ecological Restoration: Projects should contribute to the health and vitality of ecosystems, for example, by creating habitat or improving water quality.
Social Equity & Community Engagement: Designs prioritize the health and well-being of people, involving local communities and stakeholders to address social needs and promote equitable solutions.
Resource Generation: Projects aim to be resource-positive, generating more energy, clean water, and other essential resources than they consume.
Local Context: Designs are tailored to the specific environmental conditions and cultural contexts of a place, utilizing local materials and respecting local ecosystems.

How it Differs from Sustainability:

Sustainable Design focuses on minimizing negative impacts and reducing consumption, aiming for "net-zero" outcomes.
Regenerative Design goes further by aiming for net-positive outcomes, actively replenishing resources and healing environmental damage. Sustainability practices often serve as a foundational step toward larger regenerative goals.

Examples in Practice:

Green Roofs: Creating habitats for wildlife and capturing rainwater.
Bio-Reactive Façades: Generating energy from algal biomass and solar heat, which can be used by the building or shared with the grid.
Community-Focused Infrastructure: Designing public spaces that enhance local social equity and environmental health.

Nota Bene: many people will question this philosophy - that comes with being "ahead of the curve" ... a primary tenet is that just b/c you CAN do something doesn't mean that you SHOULD do it (accordingly, many technological experiments can be kept in National Labs, and should not be "commodified" to pay for related research)... the Way is to present a "step-function" / graduated approach (i.e. begin by "feeding them milk, then meat"...) that people can understand & follow ...

God's Law:

“Golden Rule” (Matthew 7:12)
10 Commandments (Exodus 20: 2-17)
Romans 12 - we are called to be “A Living Sacrifice” & to provide “Humble service in the Body of Christ”
Romans 12:18 “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” … but the “body” needs to be physically close together to function - so we need to live together … maybe as the Twelve Tribes or New Israel, but we are also advised to “hate that (not who) which is evil” (Romans 12:9) and to 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 “a little yeast leavens the whole loaf” and Leviticus 20:26 “You are to be holy to me b/c I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations” … SO disciple can live at peace by living set apart, like wheat and chaff, or sheep & goats …
tentmakers: (mobility) - Acts 18:3 “and b/c he (Paul) was a tentmaker as they (Priscilla and Aquilla) were, he stayed and worked with them…”
we should not build skyscrapers (but live in short 1-2 story stone structures)… nor use fired brick or asphalt (Genesis 9:1 - Tower of Babel) but should live in naturally built buildings (like altars) …
we should live in small villages, scattered across the world (per Genesis 9:1 Tower of Babel) …
we should speak in tongues (in different languages), and we should prophecy (consider the future) - (1 Corinthians 14:39)
we should respect our genealogy - as it’s apparently important since Matthew chronicled the entirety of Jesus' family tree ...
The Old City had walls (Ezra 5:11) - or gated communities (as unwalled villages got captured per Deuteronomy 3:5) - with houses clustered around central courtyards, and built on hilltops for protection
life was distinct from larger, more cosmopolitan Greek (Gentile) cities nearby, with less luxuries (per “Galilean Village life in the time of Christ” doc)
The Old City had redundant potable water sources (2 Kings 20:20 and 2 Chronicles 32:2-4)
We should live in small, agrarian, close-knit villages (~100 people each, Deuteronomy 8:8) serving as centers of family, community, and religious life (as in Jesus' many parables, which spoke of fishing, farming, shepherds, seeds, harvests…)
Houses in Galilee were built of stacked fieldstones - bound with mortar & plaster and covered with thatched roofs
travel was typically on packed clay paths with donkeys & carts
Joshua 15:32 “twenty-nine cities in all, along with their villages” in Judah
We are called to build altars (w/ natural uncut stones) in every place to remember the Lord (Exodus 20:24)
Oaks: Genesis 12:6 “Abraham receives God’s promises near oak at Shechem” and ‘oak at Mamre in Hebron’ … and Isaiah 61:3 “ that they may be called ‘oaks of righteousness’ the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified”
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 - "aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one”
2 Thessalonians 4:12 - “if anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat”
Proverbs 14:23 & Psalms 90:17 - work with your hands
Acts 20:35 - “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way, we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus - how he himself said, “It is more blessed to give than receive””
Matthew 5:16 - “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
Proverbs 13:11 - wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little-by-little will increase it …
2 Thessalonians 3:8 - “Nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you”
Titus 2:7-8 “Make yourselves an example of good works with integrity & dignity in your teaching. Your message is to be sound beyond reproach, so that any opponent will be ashamed, because he doesn’t have anything bad to say about us”
Philippians 4:8 - "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable - of any moral excellence or anything praiseworthy - dwell on these things.”
1 Corinthians 5:9-13 - “I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with any sexually immoral people - not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. (In that case you would have to leave this world!) But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. Expel the wicked person from among you” ... so live a holy / set apart life outside the big cities ...
1 Thessalonians 4:1-18 - “Finally then brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God" …