Editorial: Forging Advances in Sustainable Architecture and Urbanism

Abstract

Sustainability has been an important topic in many disciplines over two decades, and its urgency is rising. At the same time, a conceptual understanding of sustainability remains rather vague, posing a challenge for research in this area. Nevertheless the term ‘sustainability’ is increasingly used in the context of ecological, economic, and social studies. In green economics it is often used interchangeably with the term ‘sustainable development’, defined by the World commission on environment and development in 1987 as, “development which meets he needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” this underlines sustainability’s ethical dimension where a normative view implies treating sustainability as a form of intergenerational equity and fairness. The question of intergenerational equity constitutes a growing concern, and our obligation to future generations requires us to look beyond short-term public policy preoccupations to anticipate building a better future for all.

Citation

Grierson, D. and Salama, A.M. (2016), "Editorial: Forging Advances in Sustainable Architecture and Urbanism", Open House International, Vol. 41 No. 4, pp. 4-5. https://doi.org/10.1108/OHI-04-2016-B0001