Hilson Moran has launched A Vision for Change: Net Positive Places – a new handbook setting out how the built environment can move beyond sustainability targets to deliver genuinely regenerative outcomes.
This new publication captures a clear shift in thinking: from reducing harm to creating places that actively generate environmental, social and economic value. Importantly, it reflects Hilson Moran’s belief that Net Positive Places represent the next frontier for the industry, where liveability, resilience and commercial performance are intrinsically linked.
Developed through a cross-sector roundtable hosted at our London Living Lab, the handbook brings together perspectives from across development, planning, design, policy and academia. The discussion was chaired by Hilson Moran Director Jason Horner and included contributors from organisations such as Lendlease, Enfield Council, Pinsent Masons, Environment Bank and Studio Egret West.
The result is a practical and forward-looking guide that distils both the challenges and opportunities facing the industry, while setting out Hilson Moran’s own strategic position on delivering Net Positive Places.
At its core, the handbook explores how developments can move beyond net zero to create measurable positive impact, enhancing biodiversity, improving health and wellbeing and strengthening local economies. It also addresses the commercial dimension, demonstrating how a net positive approach can unlock land value, attract investment and increase footfall, creating a virtuous cycle of sustainable growth.
Structured across key themes – from redefining net positive and understanding value and return on investment, to urban design, environmental net gain, social value and long-term stewardship – the handbook provides an actionable framework for clients, designers and policymakers alike.
Hilson Moran’s interdisciplinary approach underpins the thinking throughout. By integrating expertise across planning, engineering and environmental disciplines, the practice supports clients in unlocking the full potential of placemaking.
Importantly, this is not a future ambition – it is already being delivered. Across the UK and beyond, Hilson Moran is helping to pioneer the transition from sustainable design to truly regenerative places. From enabling heat networks and circular water systems, to embedding active travel, biodiversity and community resilience into developments, each project is contributing to a growing body of evidence that net positive is both achievable and commercially viable.
As a certified B Corp, Hilson Moran continues to champion a model of development that prioritises environmental integrity, social impact and economic resilience in equal measure – supporting clients to turn ambition into action.
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If you are looking to unlock the full potential of your development and deliver a net positive legacy, get in touch with our team to explore how these principles can be applied to your projects.
