Retrosuburbia
The Downshifters Guide to a Resilient Future
Author: David Holmgren
Published January 2018
Publisher: Melliodora Publishing
Website: www.retrosuburbia.com
ISBN: 978-0-9943928-7-9
David Holmgren is the co-founder of the permaculture movement with Bill Mollison, his mentor at University of Tasmania the innovative Environmental Design program at the David was born in Fremantle WA and grew up in the suburbs in the 50’s and 60s. He lives in Hepburn, Victoria at on the one acre ‘Melliodora’ with his partner Su Dennett. The moved to there in the mid 80s and began developing one of the best-known demonstrations of permaculture.
‘My motivation has always been to create the world we want by living it now’
David Holmgren Retrosuburbia p23
David’s most recent book, Retrosurbia, addresses many of the key challenges of our time. He describes this book as part manual and part manifesto. It responds to climate and economic uncertainties with a positively powerful collection of strategies for transforming our suburbs and towns – the place where most people live – and a wonderful array of real examples of how this is being applied.
This is definitely a permaculture book – an in-depth permaculture design manual which focuses on the suburban context. It is informed by the permaculture ethics (earth care, people care, fair share) and the permaculture principles (watch my principles Masterclass https://youtu.be/gZf3L73qBkg) and uses the familiar permaculture framework of zones, sectors, patterns, design.
“Permaculture is a global movement of individuals, groups and networks working to create the world we want, by providing for our needs and organise our lives in harmony with nature.”
David Holmgren Retrosuburbia p25
The purpose of the book is to help people reimagine the place in which they wish to dwell and to “help those planing or engaged in retrofitting their homes, gardens and lifestyles to be more self-reliant and resilient within the household and local neighbourhood”
I really like his use of the term Do-It-Ourselves (DIO) rather than Do-It-Yourself (DIY) because it embraces the idea that there needs to be a community-based response, and to build resilience in the suburbs is going to take a community cooperation and neighbourhood connection.
His focus is firmly on valuing and supporting the household as the core economic unit – the place where so much work is done in creating healthy and sustainable ways of life, the place where children’s thinking and action is shaped, the place where we connect and feel a sense of belonging.
The foreword is written by Costa Georgiadis, the popular ABC Gardening Australia presenter and permaculture advocate. Costa was the MC for the Australasian Permaculture Convergence in Canberra , April 2018, but he wasn’t just introducing people, he was fully involved. So great to have him there and for his voice as an advocate for permaculture and community gardens.
David dedicated this book to Wendell Berry and shared a quote. Part of the quote is:
“ For human to have a responsible relationship to the world, they must imagine their places in it. To have a place, to live and belong in a place, to live from a place without destroying it, we must imagine it.”
This book is almost 600 pages long and is filled with ideas that will help us imagine that future, with over 500 photos from David’s son Oliver and 100 beautifully coloured illustrations by young permaculture illustrator, Brenna Quinlan.
As you can imagine, the contents page is huge. Some of the topics you’ll find include:
- Retrosuburbia case studies
- Patterns of good suburban design
- Finding a work/life balance
- Getting out of debt
- Retrosuburbia diet
- How to assess your garden
- Building soil fertility and managing soil contamination
- Food growing systems
- What to grow where
- Small animal systems
- Seed saving and backyard nursery
- Ownership and living arrangements
- Transport and travel
- Home retrofitting, water, food and energy systems
- Retrosuburbia real estate checklist
- Assessing your property
- Rearing self-reliant and resilient children
- Taking care of ourselves
- Creating safe communities
- Being a prepared household – flood, fire and other threats
- Decision-making and conflict resolution
As you can see it is a huge body of work. I want to encourage you to either borrow, share or purchase a copy of this book. It is one of the books you will want to return to over and over, and just keep dipping into for inspiration and ideas.