Friends of Phoenix, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, was established to champion regenerative development to co-create a brighter future for Jacksonville while unlocking the full potential of the Phoenix Art & Innovation District .
A Vision for Community Transformation
The Phoenix Art & Innovation District exemplifies the potential of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) to transform neighborhoods. Friends of Phoenix is dedicated to advancing:
- Business Opportunities: Providing platforms for local entrepreneurs to thrive.
- Wellness Initiatives: Promoting physical and mental health for all community members.
- Arts & Culture: Celebrating Jacksonville’s creativity and diversity through dynamic programming.
- Business Incubation: Supporting startups and fostering innovation.
- Sustainable Food Solutions: Building infrastructure for resilient, local food systems.
How You Can Help
We invite you to become a changemaker by making a tax-deductible donation. Your support contributes directly to:
- Expanding wellness programs that enhance quality of life.
- Building sustainable food systems that nourish the community.
- Growing arts and culture initiatives that inspire connection and creativity.
- Establishing a thriving community hub for innovation and resilience.
Become a Changemaker
As cities around the world reckon with climate challenges, biodiversity loss, and the social fragmentation caused by unchecked development, a new model for living is emerging—one that turns to nature not only for inspiration but for co-creation. Enter the “Bioregional Hub:” a place-based, integrated system of living that harmonizes human settlements with natural ecosystems. These hubs aren’t utopian dreams—they’re real-world prototypes reshaping how we live, build, govern, and grow. And they are poised to become the most vital infrastructure of our time.
What is a Bioregional hub?
Bioregional hubs are more than just eco-communities—they are living laboratories for regeneration, rooted in the ecological, cultural, and economic realities of their specific landscapes. Informed by regenerative design and Indigenous land stewardship, these hubs serve as blueprints for how humanity can thrive within the limits of nature—rather than in spite of them.
At their core, Bioregional Hubs integrate:
- Sustainable Land Stewardship: Using regenerative agriculture, permaculture, and rewilding to restore ecosystems
- Circular Economies: Fostering local production, closed-loop systems, and regenerative finance
- Resilient Infrastructure: Building with renewable energy, water conservation, and nature-based design
- Cultural Regeneration: Celebrating Indigenous wisdom, community resilience, and intergenerational knowledge
- Wellness and Education: Cultivating immersive spaces for ecological literacy and holistic well-being
These principles serve as the scaffolding for a new era of climate-adaptive, community-centered development.
From Movement to Model: The Origins of Bioregionalism
Bioregionalism emerged in the 1970s in response to the alienation of people from their environments. It asked a simple but revolutionary question: What if we lived in a way that truly honored the land we’re on?
The answers became more sophisticated over time. Today’s bioregional hubs are a synthesis of decades of environmental wisdom, design thinking, and community practice. They are shaped by movements like permaculture, Indigenous sovereignty, and regenerative urbanism.
And now, they’re shaping the future of cities.
“I believe the future of regenerative living lies in bioregional hubs—where communities are rooted in local ecology, regenerative principles drive economies, and collaboration sparks innovation. Bioregional hubs reconnect communities with their local environments, offering place-based solutions to our most pressing global challenges.” – Tony Cho, Founder & CEO, Future of Cities
Why Bioregional Hubs Matter Now
As the climate crisis escalates and social trust erodes, we need solutions that are:
- Localized: Tailored to the unique climate, culture, and challenges of a place
- Resilient: Able to withstand ecological shocks and economic disruption
- Inclusive: Designed by and for communities, not imposed on them
- Scalable: Capable of being adapted across urban, peri-urban, and rural settings
This is not just environmentalism—it’s regenerative placemaking. It’s where real estate, resilience, and reverence for nature converge.
ChoZen: A Living Example in Florida
This vision comes alive at ChoZen Eco-Retreat, co-founded by Tony and Ximena Cho along Florida’s San Sebastian River. Situated within a richly biodiverse watershed and in collaboration with organizations like Wildpath, Path of the Panther, and the Florida Wildlife Corridor, ChoZen operates as a bioregional hub in action.
At ChoZen, every decision—from water management to community programming—is rooted in local ecology. The land is not a backdrop, but a collaborator. With offerings like eco-tours, wellness immersions, and regenerative development workshops, ChoZen is catalyzing a cultural shift—one that moves us from extraction to co-creation.
Centering Conservation: CCRL
The heartbeat of this hub is the ChoZen Center for Regenerative Living (CCRL)—a nonprofit dedicated to conservation demonstration and community empowerment. CCRL connects changemakers, land stewards, artists, and youth in active regeneration, from habitat restoration to circular economic pilots.
It’s not about building back better. It’s about building forward—in harmony with nature, not in opposition to it.
The Future of Cities is Bioregional
Bioregional hubs like ChoZen are not outliers—they are prototypes for the next generation of human settlements. As cities continue to grow, we must ask ourselves: How do we grow with integrity, with care, and with creativity?
“The future of cities will be shaped by those who remember how to live in deep relationship with place.” – Tony Cho