Chapter 1
Initiative and Obsolescence in Sustainable Development

Peter S. Brandon

School of the Built Environment, University of Salford, Salford, M5 4WT, UK

1.1 Introduction

There comes a time within every academic discipline or topic where we need to stop and take stock, consider the future and recognise that some of our cherished ideas must die. We can no longer persevere with the norms we have enjoyed in our research and we must think anew about discarding those which no longer have anything to offer, regenerating those which still have potential and exploring the horizon for new insights which will give us encouragement in the future. It is the history of scientific discovery and is often referred to as a paradigm shift (Kuhn, 1962).

Sustainable Development has been a latent factor in emerging research for a very long time although not always made explicit as such. Since the concept was formalised largely through the concerns about pollution, climate change and non-renewable resources. It has become almost a cliché. After more than 50 years of international focus it has become an umbrella term which encompasses many different things for many different people. The underlying concept of intergenerational justice (not penalising future generations by what we do today) permeates all discussion. However this important notion can give rise to everything from making people happy to conserving the planet to planning resilience to disaster and much more. This creates difficulties in establishing a vocabulary for communication of ideas and determining where to focus attention in research and application. Each focus has different ideas and different processes and often their own language. The temptation is to retreat into reductionism and, by so doing, ignore the dependencies between the complex variables which go to make up a sustainable environment. While we focus on climate change we may miss the importance of social cohesion. If we focus on energy production we may miss the side effects of other pollutants which are just as dangerous. If we concentrate on crime in a community we may miss the underlying problems of design of buildings which enable people to live together in harmony. If we focus on conservation we may play down the impact on the economy by which we maintain our style of living.

These examples of inter-dependencies are reflected in the way we classify and structure the subject. They are also prevalent in what we measure and how we assess performance. Measurement and assessment enables us, or should enable us, to determine whether we are making progress in the field and also challenges us to make explicit what we mean by sustainable development. We cannot measure if we are not able to define the term explicitly.

This book attempts to shine light on some of these issues within the Built Environment. This admittedly is a subset of the whole subject of sustainability. It is however a significant sector dealing as it does with the quality of life (in accommodation for most human activity), the heavy use of scarce resources (including energy) and the transport and movement of people and goods across the globe. The subject, by its very nature, is concerned with the future and how we should design and shape it. What cities do we want to live in? What relationship do we want between ourselves? How do we want to travel? How do we protect ourselves against future possibilities of failure? What level of comfort do we want to achieve and how will we achieve it? How do we create harmony in all aspects of life? The list is endless but vital to our understanding of how and what we bequeath to future generations.

The book has been divided into three sections, each with experienced and knowledgeable authors who are leading thinkers in that field. The grouping is:

• Section 1 - World Views and Values
• Section 2 - Design and Evaluation Tools and Technology
• Section 3 - Engaging with Practice, Stakeholders and Management.

These groupings are important for a number of reasons. First, the world view helps us identify the lens by which we view the problem. Do we use the economy as the key feature by which we view and evaluate all others or is there something else? It would seem in most Western nations the economy would be the pre-eminent concern but is it right? Second, the growing use of information and other technologies in design is allowing us to communicate effortlessly between each other and promote ideas to much larger groups. Will this allow us to democratise decision making or will it lead to autocratic rule demanded by the controller of the machine? As artificial intelligence begins to make inroads into our decision making, upon whose values and whose world view will it be based? These are not trivial questions but must be addressed if we are to seek a sustainable future. Third, we need to devise methods by which the future thinkers can link with existing practice to create a seamless development so there is not a divide between theory and practice which has been the downfall of so many bright ideas. Here we have included, for example, a case study in Chapter 13 by Trevor Mole which illustrates how a small professional firm is engaging with the subject within its business plan. It is not an academic paper but it demonstrates that the subject can provide competitive advantage.

Some will argue that science is a major factor in understanding sustainable development. One feature of science is that we use the existing paradigm to build our accepted knowledge for as long as it meets the need of the problem it seeks to understand or seeks to solve. There is a natural inclination to give up what we know to move forward into a new way of thinking. John Brockman (Brockman, 2015) edited a book which is entitled 'This idea must die'. It contains 165 short essays by a varied group of authors, spelling out what current ideas should be jettisoned within the natural sciences because they are blocking progress. Similarly there may be a requirement for us even at this stage of sustainable development to challenge our current thinking and decide which paths should continue and which should stop!

This book attempts to identify problems caused by existing methods and provide a challenge for the future. Paradoxically it uses active researchers to explain from their own research what these challenges might be and what ideas might be left on the junk heap of discarded imagination.

1.2 Section 1: World views and values

At the heart of any debate about the future is the lens through which we focus and view the whole problem. If we feel that little can be done without ensuring that economic development continues unabated then our prism is the economy. If we think that conservation of all non-renewable resources is key then we will look at preservation as being the key factor, that is, we do not want to leave future generations with an absence of key resources. On the other hand, if we consider that religion is central then we seek out the precepts of a religion and its beliefs and adhere to these at all costs. If we think that science and technology will eventually resolve our problems then that is where we put our effort.

It may be hard to harmonise these broadly and firmly held views (and others) but if we are to seek a global consensus then we shall have to try and seek common ground.

The root of the world view can be seen in its definition of sustainable development. Perhaps the most well known and well used definition is the WCED Brundtland Commission (WCED, 1987) which states the following:

'Sustainable Development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'.

This definition does not attempt to define the needs of the present or the needs of the future, both of which are difficult to assess. If we cannot define our present needs without compromise then what chance have we of understanding future needs? This definition is often quoted but the real world view it represents is seen in the next paragraph of the report which says:

'In essence sustainable development is a process of change in which exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technical developments and institutional change are all in harmony and enhance current and future potential to meet human needs and aspirations'.

Now we see a shift towards what many people would say would be the predominately Western view of development although it does leave scope for others. It does not talk about sharing or making sacrifices for future generations. It appears to be the sort of statement large global companies would want to make to secure their future. The statement may be right but who has the power to implement and what will be their priorities? It may be that we all have to make sacrifices even for selfish reasons to avoid social conflict but will the people with power really choose this world view? It is an enormous agenda just to find the harmonious common ground.

So what is a world view? At the heart of a discussion on sustainable development must be the very essence of the attitudes and beliefs which influences our thinking. One definition of a world view is as follows:

'A comprehensive view or personal philosophy of human life and the universe'

(Collins, 2000)

Others have enlarged upon this definition and Wikipedia has suggested:

'A World View is the fundamental cognitive...