The first edition was extremely well received, providing an
introduction and insight to this important topic in a comprehensive
yet easy to read form. It was chosen to be issued to the
representatives of the organizations from the G8 and G20 countries
attending the University Summit held in Turin in 2009 which
addressed the issue of how education and research can assist
sustainable development.
The second edition, completely updated to reflect the
significant advances and new insights that have been made since
publication of the first edition, focuses on two main issues:
* Facilitating a dialogue between all stakeholders so that the
complexity of the problem can be exposed, structured and
communicated
* Understanding how to assess progress in sustainable
development
It continues to provide coherent guidance on the techniques
that can be used to assess sustainable development in a rigorous
manner. The approach is introduced using illustrations and case
studies, together with follow-up references. It remains the ideal
starting point for those trying to get a handle on the subject and
for those who wish to examine a structured and systematic approach
to the evaluation of sustainable development in the built
environment.
Table of Content
About the Authors.
Preface.
Acknowledgements.
1 Setting the Context for Evaluating Sustainable
Development.
The environmental perspective.
The international policy debates.
Extension of the debate.
The impact of the built environment.
The current response of the built environment community.
Sustainability: a definition.
Seeking a shared set of values.
Striving for a common framework and classification system.
The characteristics of assessment and measurement for
sustainable development.
Management and intervention for sustainable development.
Implementing management decisions.
Summary.
2 Time and Sustainability.
Innovation and stability.
Perceptions of sustainable development.
Critical failure points.
Time in evaluation.
Future aversion.
Clever or wise?
Practical assessment of ‘time’.
The luxury of the ‘time’ horizon.
3 Approaches to Evaluation.
The Natural Step.
The concept of community capital.
The ecological footprint.
Monetary (capital) approach.
The driving force-state-response model.
Issues or theme-based frameworks.
Accounting frameworks.
Frameworks of assessment methods’ tool kits.
Summary and conclusions.
4 Indicators and Measures.
Why evaluate?
Traditional versus sustainable development indicators.
Generic and specific questions.
International indicators.
Aggregated indicators.
Discussion.
Summary.
5 Assessment Methods.
A directory of assessment methods.
An outline summary of the main assessment methods, tools and
procedures in use.
Summary and conclusions.
6 A Proposed Framework for Evaluating Sustainable
Development.
The need for a holistic and integrated framework.
The theoretical underpinning of the framework.
The built environment explained by the modalities.
The 15 modalities for understanding sustainable development in
the built environment.
Development of the multi-modal framework for
decision-making.
Key questions for examining sustainable development within each
modality.
Synthesis of results.
Summary.
7 The Framework as a Structuring Tool: Case Studies.
Case study 1: selection of a municipal waste treatment
system.
Case study 2: evaluation of sustainable redevelopment scenarios
for an urban area.
Case study 3: ‘multi-stakeholder’ urban regeneration
decision-making.
Case study 4: social reporting of Modena City strategic
plan.
Summary and conclusion.
8 Towards Management Systems and Protocols.
Who manages?
The planning framework.
Management in a learning organisation.
Soft system methodology.
Wicked problems.
Process protocols.
A possible approach.
The Vancouver study.
The conclusions of the Vancouver study.
Follow through on the Vancouver study.
Resilience.
9 Education and Research.
A research agenda.
In conclusion.
Appendix A: The Philosophy of the ‘Cosmonomic Idea of
Reality’.
References.
Websites.
Bibliography.
Index.
About the author
Peter Brandon was Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research and
Postgraduate Studies at the University of Salford and Director of
the University Think Lab. He is now Director of Strategic
Programmes and Professor Emeritus in the School of the Built
Environment.
Patrizia Lombardi is Associate Professor in the City and
Housing Department at the Politecnico di Torino. She has
coordinated or served as lead partner in several pan-European
projects on topics related to sustainable urban development.
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