Measuring environmental sustainability
Created on 16-10-2023
Measuring environmental sustainability is critical to monitoring development progress towards meeting the desired agenda. However, the challenge is to develop a universal, accurate and well-established methodology for measuring environmental sustainability. This challenge is mainly due to several reasons. First, the environment consists of complicated systems and interconnected processes, making it difficult to isolate specific factors and measure their individual impacts. Second, environmental problems often extend over long periods of time, making it difficult to capture and assess the full extent of changes and their consequences. Third, collecting accurate and reliable data on environmental indicators can also be a daunting task, as it often requires extensive research, monitoring and analysis. Fourth, the different perspectives and values of stakeholders complicate the measurement process, as sustainability itself is a subjective concept that is interpreted differently.
System knowledge
Actors
Housing developers
Non-profit and for-profit housing organisations that undertake various tasks, such as the construction and management of housing.
Environmental agencies
Governmental organisations or authorities, responsible for managing, regulating, protecting and conserving the natural environment and enforcing environmental laws and regulations.
Method
Interdisciplinary collaboration
Teams from different disciplines or fields work together to tackle complex problems, find innovative solutions and develop a broader understanding of a particular issue. This approach recognises that many real-world challenges cannot be adequately addressed within the confines of a single discipline or field.
Target knowledge
Topic
Building sustainability
The practise of designing, constructing and operating buildings in a way that minimises their negative impact on the environment and promotes long-term environmental, social and economic sustainability.
Environmental sustainability
The responsible and balanced use of environmental resources to ensure that they are conserved and available for present and future generations. It involves protecting and conserving the natural environment while promoting human well-being.
Dimension
Institutional
The structure of government institutions that have the responsibility and power to create building regulation and monitor compliance with them
Environmental
This dimension focuses on understanding and addressing the environmental challenges and concerns related to human activities and their impact on the natural world.
Level
Building
The structure, project or development that is directly impacted by the various building regulations.
Country
The political structure governs a specific geographical area and accommodates a specific population group.
Transformational knowledge
No references
Related vocabulary
Sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability Built Environment
Area: Community participation
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Read more ->Related publications
Alsaeed, M., Hadjri, K., & Nawratek, K. (2024, March). A comparative analysis of UK sustainable housing standards. In 7th Residential Building Design & Construction Conference, Pennsylvania, USA.
Posted on 08-09-2024
Conference
Read more ->