Bridging behavioural sciences and urban planning for climate action
A new comment argues for a joint research agenda to tackle climate change
In new work by Professor Felix Creutzig an argument is made for systematically integrating behavioural sciences and urban planning to develop a joint agenda for research and planning practice. By viewing urban form as a critical choice architecture for making people’s choices more climate-friendly, this approach may unlock new pathways for higher liveability of cities.
Climate change poses an urgent challenge, within this context, the behavioural sciences – particularly behavioural economics and psychology offer valuable insights into how human behaviour can be guided towards more sustainable practices.
These disciplines emphasize the role of choice architecture designed to influence individuals decisions without directly targeting preferences nor intruding into their freedom of choice.
An overlooked aspect of choice architecture is urban form – the physical layout and design of cities – which influences mobility, energy consumption and even food choices.
Traditionally, transport and urban planning hasn’t incorporated behavioural insights – the gap represents a missed opportunity.
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The comment was authored by:
Felix Creutzig & Lucia A. Reisch
The work has been supported by the YNOT Institute at Queens’ College Cambridge and Horizon Europe Research & Innovation Action Programme under Grant No. 10105681
