Brundtland’s definition of sustainability is the ability to “meet the needs of the present<br/>without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs” (IISD, 2021). But<br/>what if there are no future generations? Social sustainability, the sector of sustainability that<br/>foregrounds the well-being and livelihoods of people (and thereby continuation of humanity), is<br/>included in definitions within the sustainability field, but less developed in sustainability<br/>practice. In an effort to bridge this gap of knowledge, 14 U.S. cities and over 100 sustainability<br/>policies were analyzed for their social sustainability performance. An eight-item analytical<br/>framework that deals with differing areas of social equity guided the analysis. Results found that<br/>most cities’ sustainability departments fell short of truly addressing social sustainability<br/>concerns. Out of the eight items, the most frequently addressed were housing security and racial<br/>and gender equality whereas few, if any, cities addressed the more specific social concerns of<br/>immigration, technology and media, or arts/cultural preservation. Future research is<br/>recommended to gain a better understanding of the ways existing cities can improve in this area.
Details
- Assessing Social Sustainability in US Cities: A Systems Approach
- Weekes, Daniel Buckner (Co-author)
- Tam, Joey (Co-author)
- Brian, Jennifer (Thesis director)
- Keeler, Lauren Withycombe (Thesis director)
- N/A, N/A (Committee member)
- Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
- Department of Economics (Contributor)
- Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor)
- Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)