The most ambitious, necessary ideas often demand that we shift our approach from isolated solutions to interconnected systems thinking. At Superstruct, our vision for sustainable growth and long-term resilience is built on an integrated taxonomy—one that acknowledges how deeply enmeshed our challenges are and seeks to develop structures that create generational solutions rather than short-term patches.
At the heart of this effort is the Taxonomy on Systems, a framework designed to align business, governance, and community structures with sustainable incentives that drive transformation. Led by Cassondra Warney, this is a fundamental Taxonomy.
“What we’re doing isn’t about optimizing within the current paradigm; it’s about structuring something fundamentally different. If we don’t map out systems change now, we will never escape the cycle of reactive solutions that fail to address root causes.” – Cassondra Warney
Integrated Systems as a Foundation for Real Change
We see the same challenge playing out across multiple industries: businesses and governments continue to operate in silos, attempting to address systemic issues with fragmented interventions. Whether it’s agriculture, energy, workforce housing, or financial models, the problem isn’t just that change is slow—it’s that the structures themselves do not allow for adaptation.
Our approach is to create collaborative, multidisciplinary groups that work across different areas of the taxonomy while maintaining a strong system-wide throughline. These groups must operate with a clear mandate: to explore and develop business models that not only solve today’s challenges but also build in the long-term incentives that ensure their impact lasts.
There are four areas that Cassondra leans into:
Indigenous Knowledge
Governance
Community
Indigenous Knowledge as a Core Principle of Resilience
One of the foundational elements of true systems change is learning from Indigenous knowledge, which has long served as a framework for sustainable governance, environmental stewardship, and economic resilience.
At this point in time, ignoring Indigenous knowledge would be a missed opportunity. It’s about more than just survival; it’s about aligning with the natural systems that have sustained these communities for thousands of years.
In her previous work with tribal nations, Cassondra facilitated collaborations that prioritized local, community-led decision-making over top-down approaches. This experience underscores the Climate Resilience Taxonomy’s unique mission: to engage local communities and build solutions from the ground up, empowering them to craft sustainable futures based on a blend of traditional wisdom and modern resilience strategies. Indigenous land management techniques, decentralized governance models, and holistic approaches to resource allocation serve as blueprints for creating long-term stability across industries.
Precision Indoor Agriculture
One of the most compelling examples of systems change in action is in precision indoor agriculture, which falls in our Essentials Taxonomy. The promise of controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) is significant, but its full potential will only be realized when integrated with broader systems such as energy, workforce development, and local economic resilience.
We have companies developing precision indoor ag technologies, and we have energy companies with excess capacity or waste streams that could be repurposed. But these sectors rarely collaborate in a way that maximizes mutual benefit. What we need is a working group dedicated to structuring these partnerships in a way that actually works at scale.
To move from concept to execution, we are identifying:
Existing energy and agricultural companies that are already working in this space
Opportunities for integrating renewable energy into CEA systems
Financial models that make these partnerships economically viable
Policy frameworks that support systemic collaboration rather than siloed funding and incentives
If the industry isn’t going to share, we have to create a framework where it benefits them to do so. We have to design incentives where companies see clear ROI from collaboration rather than competition.
Governance Structures for a New Economy
Beyond individual industries, the governance structures that dictate how businesses operate need a fundamental redesign.
There are three independent but interwoven pieces here.
Employee ownership structures like ESOPs.
Decentralized decision-making frameworks.
Broader goal of ensuring wealth-building remains localized rather than extracted from communities.
This is where new models of corporate governance become essential. Traditional structures prioritize short-term shareholder gains over long-term resilience, but what if businesses were structured differently? Models like revenue-based financing, cooperative ownership, and regenerative investment structures provide alternatives that could redefine success for companies and communities alike.
ESOP Example
Take a development company that sets up ESOPs, allowing employees to accumulate equity over time. The founder exits with a fair payout, but the business itself stays rooted in the local economy, instead of being sold off to an external corporation that extracts value without reinvesting.
These decentralized governance models, when combined with Indigenous-informed approaches to resource management, create a framework that prioritizes long-term sustainability over short-term profitability. Governance structures should be designed to reward participation, distribute ownership, and create generational stability—ensuring that no single entity has outsized control over resources that should be held in trust for future generations.
Building Community Resilience Through Trust & Accountability
For Cassondra, trust and accountability are fundamental to any resilient community. Building resilience requires more than infrastructure; it requires fostering a sense of collective responsibility and shared investment in the future.
“Resilient communities aren’t just prepared for crises; they’re woven together through trust and mutual respect. We need spaces where people engage, learn from each other, and feel invested in the community’s future.” – Cassondra Warney
In her work, Cassondra has seen firsthand the transformative power of community gardens, urban planning that encourages public interaction, and programs that engage children in nature-focused education. These spaces build the trust necessary to create resilient communities and support long-term sustainability.
By integrating social cohesion into our systems planning, we can create environments where people don’t just coexist but actively support each other—strengthening their collective ability to withstand shocks, whether economic, environmental, or social.
Moving from Thought Leadership to Action
The ideas we’re exploring at Superstruct are big, but they are not abstract. The goal is not to produce white papers that sit on shelves. It’s to build practical models that can be tested, refined, and scaled.
“We don’t need this to be perfect. We need it to move forward.” – Cassondra Warney
And that’s the essence of this work. Systems change isn’t about waiting for the perfect conditions. It’s about iterating in real time, bringing together the right people, and structuring solutions that have the power to evolve with the world around them.
The opportunity is here. The responsibility is ours.
Now, we build.