249 A SYSTEMS DESIGN TO CREATE A RESILIENT ECONOMY: THE CASE OF SUDBURY, CANADA M. Abbasi1, *D. Hiam-Galvez2, S. Espley3, S. Heshami1, P. Zangeneh1 1Department of Civil Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada 2Founder/Author Designing Sustainable Prosperity (DSP) (*Presenting author: doris.hiamgalvez@gmail.com) 3Champion Sudbury Initiative ABSTRACT Natural resource-rich economies frequently confront a structural "prosperity paradox": they generate significant wealth yet remain vulnerable to commodity price cycles, finite reserves, and entrenched social inequality, resulting in boom and bust cycles that make their long-term future precarious. This paper introduces the Designing Sustainable Prosperity (DSP) approach, a science-based, systems design methodology developed to transition miningdependent regions toward diversified, resilient economies that deliver balanced prosperity for people and planet. Rather than treating mining as the sole economic engine, DSP positions mineral extraction as an enabling platform for developing high-value, knowledge-based enterprises. Using Sudbury, Canada, as a pilot case study, this analysis demonstrates how the region’s untapped potential, specifically its world-class subsurface mastery, safety excellence, pioneering environmental remediation, and integration of Indigenous wisdom, can be transformed into a global competitive advantage. The DSP method uses a structured design process that begins with a sustainability baseline informed by OECD evidence and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs), followed by a comprehensive potential assessment, co-design, sensitivity testing, and business case development. This approach creates a pathway for building a diversified economy that exports specialized know-how and intellectual property, securing prosperity beyond the life cycle of mineral extraction. The resulting plan aligns infrastructure investment, policy, education, workforce development, and innovation around a shared regional vision. KEYWORDS Designing Sustainable Prosperity (DSP), SDGs, Resilient economy, Minig regions, Sudbury, Systems design
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