Relationships as deep leverage points for sustainable built environment futures: Experiences and viewpoints from the EU-NEB project ‘desire’

In this viewpoint, we argue that developing a sustainable future for the built environment requires new relationships – among humans, between humans and organisations, and between humans and non-humans – as both a prerequisite and a powerful leverage point for sustainable change. We contend that nurturing relationships among stakeholders is fundamental to transformative change in the built environment, and that context-specific, creative, and participatory strategies are essential for building trust. We illustrate our viewpoint with examples from a New European Bauhaus project that supported such leverage points by engaging the local community and multiple actors through interventions incorporating artistic practices as well as place-based, creative, and participatory design methods. • Forming relationships are key leverage points for a sustainable built environment. • Nurturing deep leverage points can lead to transformative shifts in mindsets. • Emphasis should be on studying their formation over time through local processes and interactions. • A sustainability focus advocates for new relationships among humans and nonhumans. • Engaging through artistic, place-based, and design can impact relationships among multiple stakeholders.