A place is just a place without people: Designing for Culture, Connection & Community
Land is a sacred place that holds wisdom and memory. And while that’s true, there’s something equally vital we can’t forget: A place isn’t truly alive until it holds people.
Yes, trees grow, water flows, and soil breathes. But the culture, the connection, the feeling that comes when people are part of the story. When hands meet soil. When conversations rise with the smoke of a shared fire. When the scent of herbs mingles with the sound of laughter, and the land becomes not just a site but a shared experience.
This is why, when I design, I go beyond plants and pathways. I begin with Zone 00-the self, and extend out to Zone 6-the wider community.
Because permaculture isn’t just about ecosystems. It’s about how we belong to them.
Zone 00: The Inner Landscape
Zone 00 is the self, the internal landscape we tend to in parallel with our gardens. It’s how we regulate, restore, and align with our values. It's how we show up in the world with presence, with purpose, with care.
And just like a garden, Zone 00 needs tending. Rest. Rhythm. Nourishment. When we care for our inner ecology, we make better decisions. We connect more deeply to land. We build from a place of integrity and intention.
But healing and growth doesn’t happen in isolation.
Zone 6: The Wider Web
In permaculture, Zone 6 is the extended community. The neighbourhood, the networks, the systems we're part of, whether we choose them or not.
And it’s here, in Zone 6, that so much of our connection and meaning is made.
Because let’s face it: even the most beautifully designed garden can feel empty without people to share it with.
A fire pit with no stories. A harvest with no hands to help. A seat with no one beside you.
That’s not the kind of space I want to create.
I design for belonging.
Designing Spaces That Invite Connection
When I’m planning a space whether it’s a backyard sanctuary or a community garden I’m thinking about more than sunlight and swales.
I’m thinking:
Where will conversations flow naturally?
Is there somewhere comfortable to sit and stay a while?
Can food be grown, cooked, and shared here?
What will draw people together, not just pass them through?
These aren’t afterthoughts, they’re core design elements.
Because the village doesn’t just appear. It’s cultivated, like a garden. With intention, patience, and care.
Culture Grows Where People Are Nourished
We often think of culture as something fixed, language, art, heritage. But I see it as something living.
Culture is how we greet each other. How we share resources. How we celebrate, grieve, rest, and rise.
Designing spaces that allow for these things is essential.
Because when we design for people, we design for culture to emerge.
And in a world that too often isolates and disconnects, creating places where people feel held, seen, and connected is both powerful and necessary.
Designing Places That Hold Us All
A place without people is just a location.
But a place with people with care, with community, with culture, that is a living system.
As a permaculture designer my work isn’t just about food forests and compost bays. It’s also about designing places where life in all its forms can thrive. Because resilience doesn’t come from isolation. It comes from interconnection.
Cas x
The Permaculture Nurse