Welcome to SiD

By Tom Bosschaert, creator of the SiD framework

Symbiosis in Development (SiD) is a framework for understanding and redesigning complex human systems so they work well for people and planet over the long term. It combines systems thinking, sustainability science, and a practical five-step method used by teams around the world.

This learning platform is free and open. You can move at your own pace, follow a guided path, or explore individual units. Each unit includes a reading, one or more video lectures, and an exercise with optional AI feedback.

What you will learn

• How to see and map complex systems using the SNO and ELSI-8 frameworks
• How to measure sustainability using the three RAH indicators: Resilience, Autonomy, and Harmony
• How to apply the five-step SiD method to real-world challenges
• How to use a set of practical tools for analysis, scenario planning, and design

How to use this platform

Choose a path from the learning hub and work through the units in order. Mark each unit complete as you go. If you create a free account, your progress is saved, you earn badges, and you can download a certificate when you finish a path.

If you prefer to explore freely, use the unit browser or the search to find topics that interest you.

What makes SiD different

Most sustainability frameworks focus on measuring harm: carbon emissions, waste volumes, compliance checklists. SiD starts from a different question: what does a thriving system look like, and how do we get there?

SiD treats sustainability as a state of a complex system, not a property of individual products or actions. This means looking at the whole: how energy, ecology, economy, culture, health, and happiness interact, depend on each other, and can be redesigned together.

The result is not incremental improvement but systemic transformation: strategies where every intervention strengthens the whole rather than solving one problem while creating two more.

About SiD

SiD was developed by Tom Bosschaert at Except Integrated Sustainability over two decades of practice across cities, organizations, ecosystems, and supply chains. It is described in full in the book Symbiosis in Development (2019). This platform distils that book into a structured learning experience open to everyone.

Ready to begin? The next unit, "Why Now," explains the five converging pressures that make a framework like SiD necessary. From there, the Foundation layer walks you through the core ideas before moving into Theory, Method, and Tools.