title: Integrated decision-making about housing, energy and wellbeing: a qualitative system dynamics model.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The UK government has an ambitious goal to reduce carbon emissions from the housing stock through energy efficiency improvements. This single policy goal is a strong driver for change in the housing system, but comes with positive and negative "unintended consequences" across a broad range of outcomes for health, equity and environmental sustainability. The resulting policies are also already experiencing under-performance through a failure to consider housing as a complex system. This research aimed to move from considering disparate objectives of housing policies in isolation to mapping the links between environmental, economic, social and health outcomes as a complex system. We aimed to support a broad range of housing policy stakeholders to improve their understanding of housing as a complex system through a collaborative learning process.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used participatory system dynamics modelling to develop a qualitative causal theory linking housing, energy and wellbeing. Qualitative interviews were followed by two interactive workshops to develop the model, involving representatives from national and local government, housing industries, non-government organisations, communities and academia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More than 50 stakeholders from 37 organisations participated. The process resulted in a shared understanding of wellbeing as it relates to housing; an agreed set of criteria against which to assess to future policy options; and a comprehensive set of causal loop diagrams describing the housing, energy and wellbeing system. The causal loop diagrams cover seven interconnected themes: community connection and quality of neighbourhoods; energy efficiency and climate change; fuel poverty and indoor temperature; household crowding; housing affordability; land ownership, value and development patterns; and ventilation and indoor air pollution.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The collaborative learning process and the model have been useful for shifting the thinking of a wide range of housing stakeholders towards a more integrated approach to housing. The qualitative model has begun to improve the assessment of future policy options across a broad range of outcomes. Future work is needed to validate the model and increase its utility through computer simulation incorporating best quality data and evidence. Combining system dynamics modelling with other methods for weighing up policy options, as well as methods to support shifts in the conceptual frameworks underpinning policy, will be necessary to achieve shared housing goals across physical, mental, environmental, economic and social wellbeing.
authors.affiliation: Complex Built Environment Systems (CBES), UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, UCL, London, UK. alex.macmillan@otago.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Macmillan
authors.affiliation: Complex Built Environment Systems (CBES), UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, UCL, London, UK. michael.davies@ucl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.affiliation: Complex Built Environment Systems (CBES), UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, UCL, London, UK. clive.shrubsole.09@ucl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Clive
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shrubsole
authors.affiliation: Complex Built Environment Systems (CBES), UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, UCL, London, UK. naomiluxford@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Luxford
authors.affiliation: Complex Built Environment Systems (CBES), UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, UCL, London, UK. neil@natural-building.co.uk.
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: May
authors.affiliation: UCL Energy Institute, The Bartlett, UCL, London, UK. laifong.chiu@ucl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Lai Fong
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.affiliation: UCL Energy Institute, The Bartlett, UCL, London, UK. evelina.trutnevyte@alumni.ethz.ch.
authors.forename: Evelina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Trutnevyte
authors.affiliation: Complex Built Environment Systems (CBES), UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, UCL, London, UK. yekatherina.bobrova.12@ucl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Yekatherina
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bobrova
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Environmental Health Research, LSHTM, London, UK. Zaid.Chalabi@lshtm.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Zaid
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chalabi
mesh_terms: D001674:Bioelectric Energy Sources; D003657:Decision Making; D006291:Health Policy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011634:Public Health / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006113:United Kingdom