Designing sustainable prosperity : natural resource management for resilient regions

"Designing Sustainable Prosperity (DSP) is a structured approach to transform regional economies that depend heavily on the extraction of finite natural resources such as metals, other minerals or fossil fuels into long-term sustainable economies that do not deplete those resources but recycle or replace them with renewable resources. A successful example of such a transformation is the state of Colorado which used to be heavily dependent on mining and is now a prospering region with many innovative technology businesses. The Persian Gulf oil economies are on a similar trajectory, and DSP-informed economic transformations are currently underway in Ontario as well as in Peru. The DSP approach prioritizes circular economy processes and renewable energy and water resources, but also favors regional trade and improving education, thereby aligning with many UN Sustainable Development Goals."