To establish a definition of sustainability, what is first and foremost needed is to pinpoint the differences between two very similar terms: sustainability and sustainable development. While sustainability is the overall vision, sustainable development underlines the process of achieving it (Diesendorf, 2000). The UN has defined sustainable development as the effort to “meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (WCED, 1987). While the 1987 definition is a highly generalised term, it has undoubtedly kickstarted several debates around relevant terminology. However, it still fails to profoundly address the multiplicity of factors and variables that come in play when talking about sustainable development (Mebratu, 1998); what and whose needs? How are these needs shaped and influenced by the nature-culture and local-global spectrums as well as the socio-political realities from which they emerged?

To tackle the first question, “what and whose needs” what is needed is simply to ask; participation and inclusion in decision-making have been identified as inherent values in empowering communities (Jenkins & Forsyth, 2010), while the equitable inclusion of communities in all facets of creation (concept, decision-making, construction) and post-creation (maintenance & management) can enhance “individual and social well-being” (Turner, 2000). Participation can therefore be a key element in “repairing the natural relationship between people and place” (Hamdi, 1995).

When it comes to understanding and situating those needs within the complex realities in which they occur, a crucial asset is empathy. Empathy signifies the ability to shift between perspectives and form emotional bonds while enhancing the cognitive capacity of processing the emotional state of the other. This “can bring significant advances to understanding sustainability challenges” (Brown et al., 2019).

Finally, to provide a more specific term for sustainable development, the 1987 UN term can be rephrased as not only the effort to meet one’s needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same, but also the effort to identify, understand and contextualise those needs, connect and empathise with the people voicing them, and ultimately challenge the status quo, whenever needed ”.

Effrosyni Roussou - DRAFT

Reference List:

Brown, K. et al. (2019) Empathy, place and identity interactions for sustainability, Global Environmental Change, 56, pp. 11-17

Diesendorf, M. (2000), ‘Sustainability and sustainable development’, in Dunphy, D. Benveniste, J. Griffiths, A. and Sutton, P. (eds.) Sustainability: The corporate challenge of the 21st century, Sydney:  Allen & Unwin, pp. 19-37

Hamdi, N. (1995) Housing without Houses: Participation, Flexibility, Enablement Warwickshire: Practical Action Publishing

Jenkins, P., Forsyth, L. (eds.). (2010) Architecture, Participation and Society. New York: Routledge

Mebratu, D. (1998) ‘Sustainability and sustainable development: Historical and conceptual review’, Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 18(6), pp. 493–520

Turner, J.F.C. (2000) Housing by People: Towards autonomy in building environments. London: Marion Boyars Publishers Ltd

World Commission on Environment and Development. (1987). Our common future. Oxford: Oxford University Press