Abstract for: Comparisons of Emotional Boundaries: A case study of water neutrality and sustainable urban development in London

Emotions can shape decisions through the content of thought, depth of thought, goal activation, and interpersonal relationships within groups. While the formal aspects of the system have often been used to compare stakeholders' different perceptions of the system, the role of emotions still needs to be explored in the analysis. Drawing from a case study in London, UK, which explores how local developments contribute to water neutrality (WN) and sustainable growth, this study asks how emotional boundaries stakeholders attach to the variables contribute to the dynamics of sustainable urban development. We found that patterns and boundaries of different organisational groups’ emotions towards variables in causal mechanisms were explored. Despite the shared goal of achieving WN in developments, stakeholders have various emotional perceptions of the variables that contribute to WN and long-term sustainable growth. This paper illustrated the proof of the concept of how emotional boundaries impact the dynamics of decision-making in sustainable urban environment.