Doughnut Economics

What is Doughnut Economics? 

The term doughnut economics was coined by Kate Raworth in her book, Doughnut Economics, How to think like a 21st century economist. She outlines a 7-step approach to living within the planetary boundaries (the outer ring of the doughnut) while maintaining the social foundations for all (the inner ring of the doughnut). This approach integrates the sustainable development goals (SDG’s) and permaculture principles into a new economic measure of prosperity.

Consulting with a focus on local economic development started to feel like I was only working with one piece of the puzzle. For a decade, centering the growing sector of women and women of color as entrepreneurs represented a key element in economic recovery and placemaking for main street initiatives. As I contributed to numerous planning efforts, I began to see nature-based solutions and permaculture as another piece of the puzzle. How do we measure prosperity? In 2017 this question was emerging at the UN and started to chip away at the idea that the GDP was an accurate measure of people's lived experience and endless growth resulted in a cleaner environment and equitable economic opportunity. These two threads, the desire to center ecological health as part of our cities and the necessity to expand our definition of prosperity to include a more equitable measure of our social foundations, expanded my practice to include Kate Raworth's Doughnut Economics.

I was thrilled to participate in the Renegade Economic International Cohort in 2022 to collaboratively explore downscaling this theory to a neighborhood level. This felt most applicable to my community-scale work. I invite you to read more about that here (https://sarahrfilley.medium.com/what-is-a-regenerative...)

Now it is time to combine these regenerative and economic principles within the complexities of urban development. Are you interested in expanding beyond sustainability and integrate climate resilience and nature-based solutions into your projects?

I contribute to urban and rural planning initiatives, climate action plans, urban development, non-profit affordable housing projects, think tanks, and organizations working towards resilient communities. If you are working in these sectors, let's talk about how I can bring the doughnuts to your next meeting.
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