Co-creating a shared understanding of systems thinking in the built environment

This paper describes a process to co-create a shared understanding and an agenda for change, in line with our guiding vision for the built environment: to enable people and nature to flourish together for generations. This has engaged multiple stakeholders from a wide range of socio-technical domains in workshops and focus group meetings to understand the challenges to this vision and develop systemic insights and solutions. This process has been cross-sectoral, with public, private and third sector participation. Meeting society’s evolving needs is impossible without addressing interconnected challenges of climate change, resource depletion, pollution, biodiversity loss, and inequity, and to do this concurrently. Additionally, the built environment’s longevity and interconnectedness demand strategic, long-term, joined-up policy and governance. Yet siloed structures, notably in government, regulations and sectored industries, currently hinder this. Informational silos, with disconnected data further confound progress, holding back the insights needed to understand systems and improve outcomes. Unless we address this nexus of challenges, and do so urgently, our trajectory will continue towards multiple system failure, polycrisis, economic damage and widespread hardship. To improve outcomes and create futures in which people and nature flourish together (the vision), urban planners require a better understand of the social and natural system-of-systems on which we depend. A ‘systems thinking’ mindset is essential to improve governance and intervene more efficiently and effectively. Central to our approach is co-creating a shared understanding to build a consensus and grow a connected community to drive change. This fosters meaningful communication through shared language, aligns endeavours towards common goals, connects individuals with shared objectives, and enables collaboration across disciplines and sectors. This paper presents core principles, with our policy recommendations, aimed at advancing systems thinking in the built environment and driving positive systems change. It is an approach with international relevance for change-makers in the built environment.