Book Report: The Permaculture City by Toby Hemenway
I have decided to challenge myself to read more or mostly non-fiction books. I struggle with reading because it takes a lot of energy for me to actually focus on comprehending what the book is trying to get across, and this has always been the most difficult when it comes to non-fiction books. However, I’ve been inspired by the online creator Sarah Schauer to give non-fiction another chance by finding books that discuss concepts I am interested in. The first topic that came to mind was, of course, sustainability. So, I looked on Libby for some books in that category that would appeal to me and found the absolute gem that is The Permaculture City by Toby Hemenway. I’ve decided to call back to grade-school and write a report on this wonderful book based on my notes I took chapter-by-chapter.
This book was delightful. One of the biggest things I’ve learned in these early sections is that permaculture isn’t a strict set of instructions; it’s a framework that helps us design and use systems more sustainably. What surprised me most is how easily this applies to cities. We often think of urban areas as unsustainable, but cities are actually much greener than people assume. Their compactness and shared spaces make them less energy intensive and more productive in many ways.
In the first chapter, Hemenway introduces the concept of complex adaptive systems (CAS). This means they can’t be rigidly planned from the top down, but they also can’t exist in total chaos. This is why designing a city “from a plane,” as modernist planners like Le Corbusier tried to do, strips it of life. I found this idea fascinating and now want to continue my non-fiction journey with the works of Jane Jacobs and Christopher Alexander, who were critical in developing these concepts.
Chapter 2 was my favorite because it explained the permaculture design process in such a clear, satisfying way. This quote from this chapter especially resonated with me: “At its heart, design is about placing the right parts in useful relationships so that the desired processes can happen” (55). It’s such a simple explanation of such a daunting topic that I appreciate so much. The framework consists of some core principles: observe carefully, connect elements, catch and store energy, make each element serve multiple functions, and ensure that every function is supported by multiple methods. Other principles include making the least change for the greatest effect, starting small, optimizing edges, working with succession, and using biological resources before technological ones. Hemenway also writes to keep certain attitudes in mind: turn problems into solutions, get a yield, learn from mistakes, and remember that the biggest limit is a lack of creativity.
The design process itself moves through four levels: mission, goals, strategies, and techniques. Strategy is the central pillar; it involves diagnosing challenges, creating a guiding policy, and organizing coherent actions. Key design methods include sector analysis, zone analysis, needs-and-resources analysis, and my favorite, highest use. Highest use means completing the most energy-intensive or valuable use of a resource first, then using what’s left for less demanding uses in descending order of demand. Hemenway’s example of structuring his workday this way, from learning to creative work to administrative tasks to physical tasks to social engagements, felt so intuitive, and has inspired me to apply that to my own routine. The pillars of permaculture: care for people, care for the earth, and return the surplus, also really resonated with me because they make sustainability feel both simple enough to accomplish and unapologetically human.
The next chapters focus more on practical applications, especially gardening, which isn’t directly relevant to my own situation but still offered useful ideas. I loved the concept of edges, the boundaries between two conditions like sun and shade or regulated and unregulated land, which Hemenway points out tend to have the greatest diversity. Another takeaway is in his callback to sector analysis, which is to avoid troublesome sectors altogether rather than trying to fight them, which feels like good advice beyond just gardening.
Chapter 5 moves beyond the individual to community gardening, and here the ideas are incredibly powerful. The message is clear: individualistic culture is dead. Sustainability works best in a collective. A community. Sharing responsibilities with neighbors and creating common goals helps reduce pressure on individuals while strengthening connections. Zone analysis comes back here too—your garden is zone 1, your neighbor’s resources might be zone 2, and big-box stores like Costco are zone 5. (Hemenway’s diss on Costco did hurt a bit, though.) This framework makes it easy to understand why sourcing food and materials locally drastically lowers environmental impact.
Hemenway also broadens the idea of sustainability beyond ecology in Chapter 8, discussing livelihood and wealth. His advice is to reduce the need to earn by reducing consumption, supporting others in non-monetary ways, developing and maintaining skills that others will find valuable, diversifying your sources of income, generating and store a surplus, and using the surplus to support your lifestyle. permaculture designer named Larry Santoyo calls these strategies “reducing the need to earn” and I really love that phrase. Hemenway also stresses building other forms of capital, such as social, cultural, and experiential, not just financial.
The last chapters return to the heart of the book: community and resilience. Meet the people in your “zones.” Support each other. Resolve conflicts when they arise. Ultimately, sustainability depends on these relationships as much as on design techniques. The book closes by tying everything together in the final chapter, and overall fills me with a lot of hope.
Thank you for reading! I plan to continue reading on sustainability and hope to turn it into a section on the lessons side of this site. I think you should read this book, too, and be inspired by at least one idea from it. I hope you can apply at least one concept from it to your daily life. Every effort counts when it comes to rebuilding our communities and our environment.
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