Reimagining homes: How regenerative retrofitting can foster sustainability, ecological citizenship, and resilient communities

Retrofitting residential houses is still an underutilised option for addressing the climate crisis and meeting the growing demand for more sustainable housing. While energy efficiency is a significant focus of many retrofit efforts, popular techniques often overlook the broader ecological and social dimensions of sustainability, such as the reduction of embodied carbon and the enhancement of connections between people and the environment. Concurrently, fostering Ecological Citizenship, where individuals actively engage in environmental stewardship and contribute to community resilience, is critical in addressing systemic challenges like biodiversity loss, social inequality, and climate adaptation. This article investigates how regenerative retrofitting, an emerging approach to retrofit design, can bridge this gap by transforming homes into active agents of ecological renewal. By incorporating nature-based solutions, circular material strategies, and participatory design practices, regenerative retrofitting not only mitigates carbon emissions but also nurtures a deeper sense of environmental responsibility among residents. Through a case study of the Wildhouse project in Brighton, this work explores how one initiative integrates retrofit practices with the principles of Ecological Citizenship and sustainable living. By examining the project’s design, its mechanisms to facilitate human (as) nature connections, and its mission to define more tangible links between the homes of people and other forms of nature the research demonstrates how regenerative retrofits can reframe housing as a locus for ecological restoration and as a route to tackle some societal issues. In doing so, it highlights the potential for scaling such interventions to create more resilient, nature-integrated urban environments that contribute positively to environmental sustainability, social equity, and long-term climate resilience. Furthermore, the research emphasises how regenerative retrofitting can influence housing policy, urban planning, and broader systemic change, offering a holistic approach to sustainability that addresses both the physical and social fabric of cities. Through its exploration of the intersection between retrofit design, ecological engagement, and community empowerment, this work contributes valuable insights into how residential retrofitting can play a pivotal role in advancing both ecological and social sustainability in urban settings. The future research directions informed by Wildhouse offer space for further exploration of the long-term, wide-ranging impacts of regenerative retrofitting in social housing. By addressing questions about the agency of domestic objects, spaces and interactions as route to ecological citizenship, economic viability, institutional barriers, community engagement, health outcomes, and climate adaptation, future work can deepen our understanding of how regenerative design can be implemented on a large scale, ensuring that it contributes to both ecological restoration and social well-being for generations to come.