Abstract
Representations of sustainability and sustainable development, as images, figures, and models have received relatively little attention in the literature, compared with textual definitions. However, there has been a concerted effort by authors to communicate complexity to specialized and wider audiences over the past fifty years. The purpose of this article is to present a taxonomy of visual representations of sustainability and sustainable development that reveal the conceptual diversity and complexity of these metanarratives of the dynamics of socio-ecological systems (SES). Using an exploratory and interpretive methodology, the principal objective is to describe and interpret the core traits of 18 different representations, which reflect the hybrid nature of sustainability and sustainable development depictions, but also allow them to be categorized into six main types. This exercise is based on the review of images used in the secondary literature on sustainability and sustainable development, and also websites that have compiled sets of images. The shared roots or common traits of the six main types are to be found in the principles of complexity, nonlinearity, holism, projection, and praxis. These roots reflect not only the dynamics of SES, but also how these system representations change according to their purposes and etiologies which are, in turn, defined by the academic, public, and private actors who design them.
Highlights
Sustainable development and sustainability are concepts that can be understood from different perspectives and approaches
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It should be noted that the selection of examples was made on the basis of the aforementioned categories according to their etiology, and with a view to covering different time periods and definitions of the key concepts
Summary
Sustainable development and sustainability are concepts that can be understood from different perspectives and approaches. Critical voices note that a leopard never changes its spots This skepticism has been part of the production of diverse conceptualizations of sustainable development, as competing definitions and associated narratives have been devised to challenge core values, principles, drivers, and responsibilities in transformation processes [7]. This in turn has led to considerable ‘noise’ in the debate, and a general perception that sustainable development is such a malleable concept that it serves each to their own. They cover representations of both definitions of sustainability and sustainable development, and particular applications of these concepts, for example frameworks for the development of indicators
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