Sustainable People

Abstract

This paper suggests that the concept of sustainable development has considerable limitations because it has become abstract and too often ignores that many forms of development (oil and gas exploitation, mining) are not sustainable. Development, as the well‐worn cliche puts it, is about people. Our approach at the Community Development Institute focuses on how individuals can become sustainable and motivated to develop their own potential while at the same time working towards the development of their organizations and communities. Discussions about development thus move from abstractions to ways in which specific individuals can live good lives (as they define them) while contributing to their communities. The concept of sustainable people is linked to that of community development, which offers a middle way for the creation of employment and wealth between the efforts of the state and those of the private sector, especially in poor and marginalized areas.

Citation

Anne MacIntyre, G. (2004), "Sustainable People", Humanomics, Vol. 20 No. 3, pp. 3-13. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb018893