My doctoral research, which employs a mixed methods approach, explores societal responses to eco-social challenges within an economic growth-oriented paradigm, using social imaginaries theories to assess their impact on sustainability and how collective aspirations can be redefined. By addressing the neglected question of what is desirable, the findings provide insights into redefining societal values and narratives that impede efforts towards a sustainable transition, opening the door to envisioning a new societal project. They also highlight the transformative potential of arts-based practices, with a focus on scalability, inspiring more communities to adopt sustainable well-being paradigms.

Simply put, the study aims to determine what sustainability truly means, whether its shared actual conception is compatible with environmental scientific knowledge, and what else we can collectively envision as a community.

Key words: arts-based approaches, environmental crisis, post-growth, social imaginary, sustainable wellbeing