Glossary
Sustainability.
Some of the most used SUSTAINABILITY terms by Estudio-B .
C
CULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY: “Culture is who we are and what shapes our identity. No development can be sustainable without including culture.” (UNESCO)[i]. Therefore, sometimes cultural sustainability is included in the social dimension of sustainable development.
However, Cultural Sustainability can be regarded as a fundamental issue, even a precondition to be met on the path towards sustainable development. Some pundits even consider culture as the: “fourth pillar of sustainable development”[ii]. Here at Estudio-B we share the belief Culture is central to human, social and economic development; therefore it is a fundamental dimension of our work.
Even though the theoretical and conceptual understanding of cultural sustainability within the general frames of Sustainable Development remain vague and consequently, the role of culture is poorly implemented in the environmental, as well as political and social policy.[iii]
H
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT: “In 1990 the first Human Development Report introduced a new approach for advancing human wellbeing. Human development – or the human development approach - is about expanding the richness of human life, rather than merely the richness of the economy in which human beings live. It is an approach that is focused on people and their opportunities and choices.” [iv]
P
PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS (PPPs): “Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have gained popularity as a way to address social and economic problems that are difficult or impossible for a single entity to tackle — such as alleviating poverty, increasing access to education or building resilience to floods.
Aided by multilateral organizations like the World Bank or the World Economic Forum, PPPs bring together national governments, private businesses, civic organizations, and donors. As the participants pool resources and expertise to address the problems, they also help create and strengthen their brands — No matter if they are companies or nations.” [v]
S
SUSTAINABILITY: The term sustainability has a multidisciplinary use and meaning. In dictionaries, sustainability is typically described as the capability of a system to endure and maintain itself. Various disciplines may apply this term differently.
Sustainability is represented as the synergy between society, economics, and the environment. The environmental aspects include the use of natural resources, pollution prevention, biodiversity, and ecological health. The social aspects include standards of living, availability of education and jobs, and equal opportunities for all members of society. The economic factors are drivers for growth, profit, reducing costs, and investments into research and development.[vi]
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Involves environmental, economic, and social aspects. For a particular process to be sustainable, it should not cause an irreversible change to the environment, should be economically viable and should benefit society. [vii]
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS: The Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint for achieving a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, and peace and justice. The Goals interconnect and in order to leave no one behind, it ís vital that we achieve each Goal and target by 2030.[viii]
SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY: Social sustainability has had considerably less attention in public dialogue than economic and environmental sustainability.
The first model to describe sustainability takes into account the triad of environmental sustainability, economic sustainability, and social sustainability. “In this approach, the concept of "social sustainability" encompasses such topics as: social equity, livability, health equity, community development, social capital, social support, human rights, labor rights, placemaking, social justice, cultural competence, community resilience, and human adaptation”.
A more modern approach is espoused by Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen who gives the following dimensions for social sustainability:[
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Equity - the community provides equitable opportunities and outcomes for all its members, particularly the poorest and most vulnerable members of the community.
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Diversity - the community promotes and encourages diversity.
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Interconnected/Social cohesions - the community provides processes, systems, and structures that promote connectedness within and outside the community at the formal, informal and institutional level.
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Quality of life - the community ensures that basic needs are met and fosters a good quality of life for all members at the individual, group and community level (e.g., health, housing, education, employment, safety)
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Democracy and governance - the community provides democratic processes with open and accountable governance structures.
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Maturity - the individuals accept the responsibility of consistent growth and improvement through broader social attributes (e.g., communication styles, behavioral patterns, indirect education, and philosophical explorations) [ix][x]
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For more information on the terms above please refer to the endnotes.
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[i]https://en.unesco.org/themes/culture-sustainable-development
[ii]http://www.culturalsustainability.eu/conclusions.pdf
[iii]Loach, Kirsten; Rowley, Jennifer; Griffiths, Jillian (2017-03-04). "Cultural sustainability as a strategy for the survival of museums and libraries". International Journal of Cultural Policy. 23 (2): 186–198. doi:10.1080/10286632.2016.1184657. ISSN 1028-6632.
[iv]http://hdr.undp.org/en/humandev
[v][v]http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/how-public-private-partnerships-can-help-build-nations-brands/)
[vi]https://www.e-education.psu.edu/eme807/node/575
[vii]https://www.e-education.psu.edu/eme807/node/575
[viii]https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals
[x]http://integral-sustainability.net/wp-content/uploads/sas4-2-hodgson.pdf