Five Approaches to Social Sustainability and an Integrated Way Forward

Robert H. W. Boyer, Nicole D. Peterson, Poonam Arora and Kevin Caldwell
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Robert H. W. Boyer: Department of Geography & Earth Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, McEniry 324, 9201 University City Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
Nicole D. Peterson: Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Barnard 217, 9201 University City Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
Poonam Arora: Department of Management and Marketing, School of Business, Manhattan College, 518 De LaSalle, 4513 Manhattan College Parkway, Riverdale, NY 10471, USA
Kevin Caldwell: Department of Geography & Earth Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, McEniry 324, 9201 University City Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28223, USA

Sustainability, 2016, vol. 8, issue 9, 1-18

Abstract: Sustainability is often conceived of as an attempt to balance competing economic, environmental and social priorities. Over the course of three decades of scholarship, however, the meaning and appropriate application of the ‘social pillar’ continues to inspire confusion. In this paper, we posit that the inherent challenge of understanding social sustainability is its many legitimate meanings plus a lack of interdisciplinary scholarship. We draw from literature in multiple disciplines to illustrate five different ways that the concept of social sustainability has been applied in scholarship and professional practice, and highlighting the importance of applications that acknowledge placed-based, process-oriented perspectives that understand social, economic, and environmental imperatives as integrated concepts. Ironically, this framing forecloses on social sustainability as an entity distinct from environmental and economic sustainability. We believe that organizing the conversation around these five applications can help advocates of sustainability use the concept of social sustainability in clear and powerful ways while avoiding applications that relegate the social dimensions of sustainability to an afterthought.

Keywords: social sustainability; three-pillar model; sustainable development; interdisciplinary (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (43)

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