TY - JOUR
T1 - How Sustainable Is Our Urban Social-Sustainability Theory?
AU - Bigon, Liora
AU - Langenthal, Edna
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 by the authors.
PY - 2023/5
Y1 - 2023/5
N2 - This short opinion article critically comments on some current mainstream trends, characteristics, and biases in urban social sustainability research literature. Through identifying some gaps regarding geography, sub-topics, and study approaches, and through considering “off-the-map” southern urban realities, it calls for the need to refocus and reshape some of the basic notions and presumptions that currently stand behind urban social sustainability theory, concepts, and policy design. Enhancing our sensitivity to truly global urban conditions, argue the authors, would result in less expected and generic (Eurocentric) approaches regarding urban social sustainability and would contribute to its more meaningful and comprehensive understanding. A bias towards qualitative, place-based, and context-sensitive analysis is a necessary step in rendering urban social sustainability truly global as well as in the making of more place-intelligent and place-responsive planning interventions.
AB - This short opinion article critically comments on some current mainstream trends, characteristics, and biases in urban social sustainability research literature. Through identifying some gaps regarding geography, sub-topics, and study approaches, and through considering “off-the-map” southern urban realities, it calls for the need to refocus and reshape some of the basic notions and presumptions that currently stand behind urban social sustainability theory, concepts, and policy design. Enhancing our sensitivity to truly global urban conditions, argue the authors, would result in less expected and generic (Eurocentric) approaches regarding urban social sustainability and would contribute to its more meaningful and comprehensive understanding. A bias towards qualitative, place-based, and context-sensitive analysis is a necessary step in rendering urban social sustainability truly global as well as in the making of more place-intelligent and place-responsive planning interventions.
KW - global south
KW - social sustainability indicators
KW - social sustainability theory and critique
KW - sub-Saharan Africa cities
KW - urban social sustainability
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85160906333&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/su15108324
DO - 10.3390/su15108324
M3 - ???researchoutput.researchoutputtypes.contributiontojournal.article???
AN - SCOPUS:85160906333
SN - 2071-1050
VL - 15
JO - Sustainability (Switzerland)
JF - Sustainability (Switzerland)
IS - 10
M1 - 8324
ER -