Transforming Behaviours, Inspiring Change
A structured behavioural science diagnosis and design was not formally deployed; however, the approach illustrates many principles of behavioural science.
Problem
Wildlife decline from loss of habitat in urban developments. Rural and urban wildlife in decline—birds like house sparrows, starlings, swifts (~60% losses since the 1970s) and pollinators suffer from habitat loss and lack of resources. New build developments provide new residents with a blank canvas garden lacking any features that support local biodiversity of species.
Project vision
The “Nature on Your Doorstep” project by the RSPB and Barratt Homes was a blueprint for nature-inclusive housing: Launched in ~2014 as the UK’s first fully nature-friendly housing development, Kingsbrook aimed to demonstrate how new homes can co-exist with thriving wildlife and inspire wider industry uptake.
Three core partnership aims (RSPB–Barratt):
1) Share expertise to develop innovative nature-integrated design;
2) Inspire homeowners with guidance and community engagement;
3) Drive industry change by showcasing scalable models, influencing policy and other developers.
The initiative used a range of behaviour change tools that reflect established behavioural science principles. These tools were designed to make wildlife-friendly gardening easier, more appealing, and more likely to be adopted and sustained by residents.
The RSPB–Barratt partnership’s strategic plan combined scientific baseline, design innovation, resident empowerment, and policy-level ambition. Built into the physical and social fabric of developments like Kingsbrook and supported by digital platforms and community programming, the initiative illustrates how layered strategies—applied from masterplanning through to homeowner activation—can deliver measurable biodiversity gains, while setting new benchmarks for nature-integrated housing.
Approach
Rather than relying on one-off awareness campaigns, the project used multiple reinforcing behaviour change strategies, including;
Designing for action with high reach and adoption: Most residents took at least one wildlife-friendly action in their garden. Diverse actions: from feeding birds to pollinator planting, leaving grass unmown, installing nest boxes.
Creating community norms and community momentum: Peer-to-peer social sharing reinforced behaviours, making them visible and replicable. Ongoing engagement with seasonal nudges.
Ease of adoption/remove friction: Actions suggested were simple, low-cost, and aligned with homeowner motivations—benefits for wildlife and wellbeing alike.
Behavioural Lense
The following breakdown of COM-B elements, behaviour change tools and the behavioural principles leveraged.
Capability - how-to videos, action packs, plant lists improve psychological and physical capability.
Opportunity - Show homes, built-in design features, and a supportive online group create social and physical opportunity.
Motivation - challenges, peer stories, and seasonal tips enhance reflective and automatic motivation.
Behavioural Outcomes measures
Installation of ecological features in 2,450 homes and 60% greenspace allocation (~250-acre nature reserve).
In a resident survey reported locally,around 75% of residents said they’d taken action to help wildlife in their garden,. 43% planted pollinator-friendly plants, 49% fed birds, 24% left grass longer to support nature.Homeowners adopt wildlife-friendly gardening: planting nectar-rich species, installing nest boxes, creating hedgehog highways.
Peer sharing and community engagement reinforce adoptive norms.
Over 75% of residents take at least one action benefiting local wildlife.ENA UK+8rspb.org.uk+8kingsbrook-pc.gov.uk+8
Ecological Outcomes
Evidence-based feedback loops (monitoring and surveys) supported iterative validation and sector-level advocacy. Findings included measurable species recovery, biodiversity maintained/increased Surveys (pre-construction vs 2021) findings found Bird species richness maintained (~65 species; breeding species up from 41 to 42). Dramatic increases: House sparrows +3,941%; starlings +96%; reed buntings +65%; Whitethroat +72%. Insects: Bumblebee counts more than doubled; butterfly presence remained stable.
Wider Sector Impact & Scaling
Kingsbrook is used as a blueprint for developing nature-integrated housing nationwide. Tools shared with industry bodies (e.g. NHBC, government) through guides, conference presentations and MP visits.
Key behaviour‑change principles highlighted
Empowerment - Users were highly engaged in forums—not just passively consuming information but actively exchanging advice and inspiration. The community-driven format fosters sustained behaviour change through peer validation and emotional connection.Practical advice was provided to residents offer step-by-step instructions (e.g., organic weed killer, pond creation) based on real experience.
Social Dynamics - Collective reinforcement: Forums function as peer networks validating pro-nature behaviours.Visible social proof: Posts show others succeeding with these actions, modeling behaviour that others replicate.
Legitimacy - Trust, Authority, Consistency - messaging from a trusted builder + RSPB gave legitimacy and consistency to the ask.
Positive Emotional connection - People share excitement over wildlife visits—sparrows nesting, hedgehogs exploring—a motivator for others to act. Homeowners embraced simple, visible ways to support wildlife.
Social proof and norm establishment — show homes designed as wildlife-friendly set positive expectations for residents.
Low-effort visible actions — planting pollinator-friendly flowers or installing nest boxes provided quick, emotionally rewarding wins.
Community support and reinforcement — online forums created spaces for social reinforcement and peer validation.
Ongoing inspiration — periodic newsletters and seasonal tips kept pro-nature gardening top-of-mind across the resident base.
