Social Sustainability Perspective Research Articles

Fashion Experience Contributions to Local Social Sustainability: An Example of Women with Career Interruptions in Korea

Metropolitan-centred development causes social issues including welfare and quality-of-life problems. Focusing on women who have interrupted their careers, this study investigates the effects of a fashion DIY programme using cultural heritage on the local community’s social sustainability in South Korea. The methods include a literature review, action research, and in-depth interviews. Results show that social and cultural capital are interrelated and can contribute to social sustainability. The fashion DIY programme of textile and fashion item production through Korean traditional natural dyeing technique provides a fashion experience that can create social relationships during participation, provide opportunities to strengthen the local community’s identity, and contribute to an approach towards social sustainability. The results have implications for social sustainability through strengthening social relationship and cultural capital by facilitating change in a patriarchal industrial structure. The research is significant as it examined the problems of women with interrupted careers from the perspective of social sustainability as well as the role of fashion experiences.

Developing a sense of place through attendance and involvement in local events: the social sustainability perspective

ABSTRACT This study examines the effect of residents’ event attendance and involvement on sense of place from the perspective of social sustainability. Specifically, this study investigates the impact of residents’ frequency of visits to and active involvement in local events on their perceived sense of place by adopting a quantitative method. The survey results show that frequent visits to local events as event attendees have a significant effect on all three dimensions of sense of place, namely place attachment, place identity and place dependence. However, involvement in local events as volunteers, organisers or co-workers was found to contribute only to place identity. This study aids in enhancing our comprehension of events as a crucial aspect of neighbourhoods that contributes to broader social sustainability of communities. The findings provide quantitative empirical evidence to key stakeholders that validate the importance of events not only as economic tools but also as integral components of the social structure within local communities. The study highlights the significance of exploring the complex association between events, places, and host communities, to better understand how events can potentially strengthen the social sustainability of local communities.

A sustainable modelling for solid waste management using analytical hierarchy process, Monte Carlo simulation and NSGA-III

The issue of solid waste management is one of the greatest challenges of any society. Instead of leveraging solid waste's potential to produce energy using waste-to-energy (WTE) technologies, different countries especially developing countries stick to their ineffective and inferior methods to dispose of solid wastes. To fill this gap between energy production and waste management, this paper develops a novel methodology that integrates three efficacious tools, including Monte Carlo simulation, multi-attribute decision-making, and mathematical optimisation modelling to solve the problem from the perspective of economy, energy recovery, environment (3E), and social sustainability. In this paper, a multi-attribute decision-making method, namely AHP, is investigated to select the most suitable emerging WTE technological options as well as the optimal waste collection routes, to capture solid waste as a potential renewable energy source. Monte Carlo simulation and beta-PERT distribution are also applied to reduce the uncertainty intrinsic to decision-making. After validating the proposed methodology in a real-world case study of Tehran city, we apply a novel meta-heuristic algorithm namely NSGA-III to solve the problem on large scales with a reasonable computational time. The performance of this algorithm in solving waste location-routing problems is explored by conducting several trials. Highlights Addressing an integrated waste-to-energy and transportation network for solid waste management. Developing a novel methodology for finding the best waste-to-energy technological alternatives with respect to the sustainable criteria. Finding the high-quality set of waste collection routes, in addition to the location of facilities with the consideration of waste collection in a separated manner and vehicle's fuel consumption and emission in the MIP model. Monte Carlo simulation and beta-PERT distribution are proposed to stochastically model the absence of accurate data. Application of NSGA-III algorithm to handle the solid waste location routing problem.

Sustentabilidade social e promoção da leitura: vínculos entre políticas públicas e a educação de qualidade no Brasil

Abstract This paper was aimed at knowing to what extent the Brazilian public policiesPlano Nacional do Livro e LeituraandPolítica Nacional de Leitura e Escritamerge with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 of quality education, namely Quality Education, from a social sustainability perspective. A mixed-methods approach was required for this purpose due to both quantitative and qualitative approaches to dealing with the data. We chose the Content Analysis research method to analyze them. Specifically, we used the categorical analysis technique and established a coding scheme. The policiesPlano Nacional do Livro e LeituraandPolítica Nacional de Leitura e Escritamerge with only three out of ten Sustainable Development Goal 4 targets, being: (a) to guarantee meaningful learning processes (4.1 target); (b) to offer scholarships for professional development (4.b target); and (c) to develop teacher training programs (4.c target). However, other linkages not related to the Sustainable Development Goal 4 were observed. They concern the following: (a) copyright and book economy matter; (b) social reading practices; (c) learning environments where to promote reading; (d) research and studies on the book production chain and information consumption market; (e) the use of technology to enhance reading promotion practices; and (f) symbolism during activities of reading promotion. The study concludes that despite the potential of Brazilian public policies for reading promotion to leverage quality education within the realm of social sustainability, the documents analyzed do not exhibit significant correlations with Sustainable Development Goal 4 of the 2030 Agenda. This suggests that the Plano Nacional do Livro e Leituraand Política Nacional de Leitura e Escrita should incorporate the seven missing requirements of the Quality Education Sustainable Development Goal (4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, and 4.a target), demonstrate all the ten targets, and establish a reading policy based on sustainable development until 2030.

Residents’ responses to social interactions and social sustainability in gated communities of the Greater Cairo Region

ABSTRACTSocial interaction is a crucial aspect of social sustainability, aiming to improve quality of life. However, the emergence of gated communities in Egypt has shifted priorities, prioritizing isolation over social interaction. This paper examines the impact of social interaction in gated communities in the West of the Greater Cairo Region from a social sustainability perspective. This study conducted a literature review on definitions and concepts of social sustainability and social interaction. We launched an online survey to measure social interaction in our case studies. We analyzed data retrieved from the survey to assess the correlation between social interaction and sustainability indicators. The results demonstrate that social interaction neutrally affects social sustainability indicators and users’ satisfaction. The survey findings indicate that users of gated communities rarely consider social interaction, which reflects their satisfaction with the isolation in the gated communities. As such, residents of gated communities should reconsider the shared spaces within these communities to improve social interaction and enhance social sustainability. This could lead to improved quality of life for people living in gated communities. Furthermore, improved social interaction within gated communities could also help to reduce social isolation and loneliness, which are associated with a range of physical and mental health issues.

Conceptualizing sustainable participation in the context of German football supporters

Institutionalized supporter participation is a traditional part of German professional football clubs. Due to commercialization, some challenging issues have arisen in recent years regarding supporter participation. To develop new approaches for improving participation, the study uses a social sustainability perspective, illustrating that social sustainability elements help to develop and structure the potential for improvement of participation in German professional football. By identifying and discussing links between social sustainability and institutionalized supporter participation, we contribute to the conceptualization of sustainable participation. Our research supports the creation of an inclusive and sustainable fan community where fans can actively participate in decisions and actions that affect their current and future fandom environment. Based on the social sustainability principles of health, influence, competence, impartiality, and meaning-making, we compile the following characteristics of sustainable participation: social well-being oriented participation, direct influence, regular voting rights, representative participation, appealable resolutions, information-based participation, barrier-free participation, democratic voting, established constitutions, and encouraged participation. This conceptualization provides approaches and foundations for future investigations regarding participation research in football and practical implications for member associations, association members, league organizers, and other stakeholders to establish and improve institutionalized participation.

Beyond the tourism-led-development logic: the role of art and culture in outlining new spatial planning policies in post- pandemic Lezha.

The article deals with art interventions’ role in developing new spatial planning solutions for the Lezha region in the post-pandemic era, from a perspective of social and economic sustainability. Lezha is a strategic area for tourism development in Albania, but this opportunity also gives way to some emerging issues in its development, most of which have been further emphasized by the pandemics: the main one is avoiding the development of an economic model entirely dependent on tourism and improving locals’ quality of life by addressing an increasing need for quality public spaces and participation. In fact, as demonstrated by the pandemics, tourism’s revenue is not always a reliable economic source. Furthermore, when planning economic strategies to make a region wealthier, it is crucial to think about parallel social interventions to improve locals’ quality of life. The article explores on the one hand art’s potentialities linked to placemaking, critical reflection, creation of sense of belonging and locals’ involvement, thus going beyond the mere promotion of cultural tourism, on the other hand its limits: the final aim should not be to create one more “open air museum”, but to address public interest. Finally, the paper suggests some possible applications in Lezha, including a program of artistic residencies to be organized once a year in collaboration with agro-tourisms in Zadrima, with the objective of introducing socially engaged art projects all over the region.

A social sustainability model for maritime labour force based on card sorting, fuzzy AHP & QFD method

Within the context of the ongoing implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development-Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs), actions toward economic, environmental, and social sustainability were aimed to be promoted. As a key stakeholder, the maritime industry's role in handling global sustainability is increasingly recognized. Social sustainability, one of the components of sustainable development, is a major concern in the maritime field for protecting the crew and providing a safe working environment. However, it is surprising to note the lack of research addressing the social sustainability of the maritime labour force in the literature. This study aims to propose a social sustainability model for the maritime labour force. The model was constructed using Card Sorting, Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchical Process (FAHP) & Quality Function Deployment (QFD) Methods. Because it discloses the expectations of the maritime labour force and the requirements that can meet these expectations, the authors have been prompted by the QFD method's frequent use in the literature and the fact that it generates the best answers to customer expectations. With the QFD method and House of Quality (HoQ) used to determine the requirements that can meet customer expectations, the requirements that can correspond to the expectations of the maritime labour force have been determined. The use of the card sorting program during the determination of the indicators has been an important point in terms of displaying a scientific approach. In addition, it is aimed to eliminate linguistic ambiguities by using the FAHP method of weighting expectations in the House of Quality method. The results revealed that work-life balance, social benefit, education and training, safety and healthy working environment at sea were the most critical expectations of seafarers, and the wage policy was less important among other expectations from the social sustainability perspective. Moreover, health and safety of people, social insurance and benefits, medical coverage and medical benefits, repatriation, understandable contract, quality and quantity of food, setting up a land-sea-land career management system, short deployment and flexible working time and, establishment of a crew welfare department were found to be the most critical requirements. The study highlights possible implications on managerial aspects and can be used as a practical guideline for decision-makers seeking to implement sustainable development in their organizations. This paper is among research studies' first to apply a hybrid approach and propose a social sustainability model for the maritime labour force. Due to the positive social and environmental effects this study will have, it will not only help seafarers, marine operators, the maritime sector, national and international economy, but also all world societies.

Social media impact of tourism managers: a decision tree approach in happiness, social marketing and sustainability

PurposeThis study aims to analyze communication from the perspective of social marketing, positive emotions, and the topics chosen by Spanish tourist destinations to show their destination image. Additionally, this research shows a message classification model, based on the aforementioned characteristics, that has generated a greater impact, offering clarity to tourism managers on the type of content they should publish to achieve greater visibility.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology used in this work combines content analysis and data mining techniques. The classification tree using the chi-square automatic interaction detector (CHAID) algorithm was selected to determine predictors of like behaviour.FindingsThe results show that the predictor variables have been emotions, social marketing and topics. Also, the characteristics of the messages most likely to have a high impact are those related to emotions of joy or happiness, their purpose is behavioural, and they talk about rural, cultural issues, special dates, getaways, or highlights of a town or city for something specific.Originality/valueThis study is the first to analyze the content of the tweets shared by destination tourism managers from a social marketing, positive emotions, and sustainability perspective, determining the possible predictors of likes on Twitter. The authors contribute to the literature by deepening the understanding of how social marketing and the positive emotions promoted drive a more significant impact in tourism communication campaigns on social media. The authors provide destination managers with a way better to understand the variables relevant to users in tourism content.

Exploring the Spatial Dimensions of Social Sustainability in the Workplace through the Lens of Interior Architects in Jordan

In both industry and academia, sustainability has become a priority in the interior design and architecture industry, having a significant impact on society. However, most recent studies on building sustainability focus mainly on environmental and economic issues, with social sustainability often being complicated and overlooked in relevant research. This paper argues that there is a need for workplace design guidance that prioritizes parameters at the intersection of twenty-first-century workforce–corporate interests, embodying the notion of social sustainability within the built environment. Through this perspective, the physical environment is considered the container of its social content, and its features and characteristics have a direct impact on the quality of life and work for office workers. Although international currents in the age of globalization have stimulated tangible progress in the context of sustainability, the interior design of most design and architecture offices in Jordan suffers from an underrepresentation of the distinctive features of socially sustainable, user-welcoming interior spaces and environments. The current study explores the experiences of interior design professionals in Jordan through four windows of “Physiological Health and Comfort”, “Efficiency and Ergonomics”, “Privacy and Social Interaction”, and “Spatial Organization (Design)” from a quantitative perspective. A survey was developed to investigate these criteria and was administered among 145 full-time design professionals working in offices in Amman, Jordan. The study aimed to investigate the experiences of these practitioners in relation to their office work environment, with a focus on exploring Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ), Quality of Work Life (QWL), and Quality of Life (QoL) from the perspective of social sustainability. Descriptive statistics, correlations, and regression models were employed to analyze the survey data and evaluate the findings. Overall, the study highlights the need for theoretical and practical incentives to promote the adoption of socially sustainable development in workplace design, particularly in the context of interior design in Jordan. By focusing on the experiences of interior design professionals with their workplace environment, this study provides valuable insights for the development of workplace design guidelines that prioritize social sustainability parameters within the built environment.

Perspective and Practices of Social Sustainability across Construction Project Lifecycle

Previous research has suggested incorporating social sustainability into the construction project lifecycle. However, the understanding and means of incorporating social sustainability practices throughout the project lifecycle remain unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to fill a knowledge gap by investigating the “real experiences” and “perspectives” of industry practitioners on social sustainability practices throughout the construction project lifecycle. The study began with a literature review to identify social sustainability attributes, which were then confirmed through structured interviews with 15 practitioners, and the data were then analysed thematically. The practitioners unanimously agreed that the social sustainability attributes could be divided into nine (9) main attributes along with the 20 sub-attributes, namely: 1) safety and health; 2) impact assessment; 3) employment; 4) stakeholder involvement; 5) satisfaction; 6) quality education; 7) social procurement; 8) protection design/belonging; and 9) human right. The practitioners have positioned the nine main social sustainability attributes into the different phases of the construction project lifecycle, based on actual practices in their projects and their professional opinion on the subject matter. Stakeholder Involvement shows the largest gap for improvement (31.7%), followed by the attributes of Worker Health and Safety (23.3%), Protection of Cultural Heritage (21.7%), and Social Procurement (21.7%). Findings from this study would benefit the industry stakeholders in incorporating social sustainability at different phases of the construction project lifecycle. The framework gives a comprehensive understanding of social sustainability that can be utilized to enhance construction project planning and sustainable development. The novelty also lies in the consolidation of social sustainability attributes for practitioners in construction that could act as a reference for any future developments related to social sustainability in construction.

Is Sport Coaching a Social Sustainable Profession for Women? Analysing the Experiences of Women Coaches in Spain

While there are several studies showing the importance of social sustainability in different settings (e.g., Democracy and Governance: the Role of Sport Governing Bodies, urban planning, architecture) there is a lack of studies investigating social sustainability in the sports coaching profession, and even less research has specifically addressed women coaches. Using Barron and Gauntlett’s model of social sustainability (2002), the purpose of this study was to analyze the women coaches’ experiences of their profession and the extent to which it is a sustainable livelihood for women coaches. Semi-structured interviews with 20 women coaches were conducted from a variety of sports and performance levels. From a social sustainability perspective, the women coaches’ experiences were analyzed using Barron and Gauntlett’s principles of equity, diversity, interconnectedness, and democracy and governance to ascertain their quality of life. Our findings reveal that women coaches face multiple barriers and difficult working conditions in their profession, yet they continue to be committed to coaching largely because of the strong positive interpersonal relationships and social interactions they have with their sporting community. This study shines a light on the extent to which coaching is a livable and sustainable profession for women coaches today and highlights the importance of considering social sustainability principles to improve the experiences of women in the sports coaching profession.

Bringing social sustainability into the mix: framing planning dilemmas in mixed-tenure regeneration

ABSTRACT While mixed-tenure regeneration has become a favoured strategy to battle concentrated disadvantage in social housing estates across the western world, the scholarly debate on tenure-mixing remains inconclusive. Some studies show that tenure-mixing can increase resident satisfaction, while others find that it may produce new forms of marginalization of low-income tenants. The mixed evidence in terms of outcomes suggests that further research is needed on viable ways forward for mixed-tenure regeneration. This paper argues that more attention should be directed towards the way project trajectories are shaped at the early stages of regeneration. It turns to the concept of social sustainability and examines how applying this concept as an analytical framework may contribute to understanding planning dilemmas embedded in mixed-tenure regeneration. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 33 practitioners involved in the early stages of mixed-tenure projects in Denmark under the so-called Parallel Society Act, it analyses practitioners’ perceptions of and approaches to tenure-mixing from a social sustainability perspective. The paper finds that the concept is helpful in framing planning dilemmas by sharpening the focus on equity and inclusion, community cohesion and participation in urban regeneration.

The social sustainability of smart cities: A conceptual framework

The smart city concept has emerged as an attractive label to address pressing issues of global urbanization and combat the critical challenges to attain sustainable development. Sustainability is still often conceived through a green environmental lens, but any change in the built environment also has implications for the social environment. Social sustainability is a dynamic concept that combines design of the physical realm with design of the social world and promotes infrastructure to support social needs and concerns. While smart cities primarily aim at enhancing performance through innovative use of digital data and technology, a social sustainability perspective stresses the critical interconnections between people and place. Through a critical systematic literature review, this paper establishes a dialogue between the smart city and social sustainability. It evaluates the smart city concept through a social sustainability lens within a built environment paradigm. A multi-stage conceptual framework is advanced around notions of place, identification of core social sustainability themes and related factors, and sensitivity to broader policy and detailed implementation scales. The framework provides guidance for further studying both the social objectives and outcomes of smart city policies. • The social sustainability of smart cities: a conceptual framework. • Smart city policy agendas must include the social dimension of sustainability. • Dimensions include social capital, infrastructure, equity, inclusion, collaborative planning. • These underpin a model for evaluating objectives and outcomes of smart cities.

Managing Stakeholder Concerns in Green Building Projects With a View Towards Achieving Social Sustainability: A Bayesian-Network Model

Green building projects (GBPs) involve multiple interdependent stakeholders, whose individual and separate concerns have different degrees of impact on sustainability management. These concerns are highly complex, subject to many uncertainties, and pose significant challenges to decision-makers during sustainability assessments, especially with regard to the social aspects of the project. As such, addressing the complexity of stakeholder concerns and optimizing the decision-making process in green building projects from the stakeholder perspective are crucial to improving practices in social sustainability management. However, to date, there is a lack of relevant empirical studies on this subject. This study proposes a decision-making model based on Bayesian networks (BN); a project network decision model is also constructed from a social sustainability perspective. A diagnostic analysis and sensitivity analysis of the constructed model identify the key stakeholder concerns that affect the social sustainability of the project. To verify its feasibility, the BN model is applied to a green building project, specifically, the Wuhan International Commerce Center, China. The results identify green design and construction, an abundance and stability of project funds, and conveniently-situated service facilities as the primary, sensitive stakeholder concerns that significantly impact social sustainability. The findings show that the BN model can be used as a long-term management decision-making tool for this project. The uncertainty problem associated with changes in sustainability levels induced by the multiplicity of stakeholders is addressed in this study. Furthermore, the findings expand the topic of social sustainability in green construction projects. These findings aid project decision-makers in managing stakeholders individually based on their various concerns, as well as improving the social sustainability of green building projects.

ESSENCE AND FACTORS OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY OF THE REGION

This article summarizes and provides some definitions for the concepts of “sustainability”, “sustainable development”, “socioeconomic sustainability of a region”. Socioeconomic sustainability refers to economic growth, which includes practices that maintain a preferred percentage of development in a region. This “special form of activity of regional development” will be that where the population of a given territory will live better. From a social sustainability perspective, economic sustainability recognizes the impact of production entities on workers and society as a whole. This includes human rights, health, and security, work-life balance, charity, diversity, and equality. The article analyzes the essence of the economic sustainability of a region, examining the main factors, including negative ones, of its economic sustainability because no concept of transition to sustainable development will produce the desired result without taking into account the regional component. It is, therefore, necessary for a region to improve all its components and to make the best use of the factors influencing socio-economic sustainability. The author concludes that the unsustainable development of a region may lead to even greater risks, which will be difficult to manage in the future.

Research on the Protection Strategy of Historical and Cultural Blocks from the Perspective of Social Sustainability

As an important carrier of ecological civilization construction, historical and cultural blocks are the most intuitive areas that reflect the regional characteristics of a city and human history. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the research status and characteristics of historical and cultural blocks, and to discuss the technical methods of protection planning under the social sustainable perspective.

An AHP-based multi-criteria model for assessment of the social sustainability of technology management process: A case study in banking industry

The abrupt development of technology has confronted different industries' managers with crucial decision points. The scope of their decisions' impact goes beyond their companies' borders. Sustainable assessment of technology investigates the economic, environmental, and social effects of technologies on firms and their environment. Nonetheless, the technology management process includes different steps (such as technology acquisition and exploitation) which need a comprehensive decision-making tool toward sustainable development targets. This paper aims to propose an integrated decision-making model to investigate the social sustainability of the technology management process. Considering three main steps of the technology management process (technology selection, technology acquisition, and technology exploitation), we constructed our model utilizing the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) as one of the most popular decision-making tools. In order to evaluate the efficiency of the model, we implemented it for E-banking technologies in one of the oldest banks of Iran (Iran's AgriBank). The results indicated that internet banking, internal R&D, and internal exploitation are the best decision alternatives among the technology management process from the social sustainability perspective. The results were validated by calculating the Consistency Rate (CR) and performing scenario-based sensitivity analysis.

A Sustainable Circular Economy: Exploring Stakeholder Interests in Finland

A circular economy (CE) is a promising solution to the looming sustainability crisis. Previous research has shown that a systemic transition from a linear economy to a CE requires stakeholder collaboration across all levels of society. Yet, little is known about stakeholder interests in a CE. The purpose of this study is to examine stakeholder interests regarding a sustainable CE in Finland. The data of 26 expert interviews is analyzed with qualitative content analysis. The study contributes to previous CE research by adding a stakeholder perspective in the examination of a sustainable CE. Stakeholder interests are explicated in terms of value-based motivations, expectations and stakes. We conclude that the consideration of stakeholder interests is relevant for understanding stakeholder collaboration in the CE context. The study shows that the economic, ecological and local social perspectives are emphasized in a sustainable CE. More attention to global social sustainability issues is needed. Research questions: The purpose of our study is to examine stakeholder interests with regard to the sustainable circular economy in Finland. Link to theory: The theoretical framework of the study builds on stakeholder theory, and uses the issue-focused stakeholder approach. We explore stakeholder interests as value-based motivations, expectations and stakes. Thereby, we advance the theoretical and empirical understanding of stakeholder interests and stakeholder collaboration in the context of CE. Phenomenon studied: Stakeholders have a prominent role in promoting the transition to the sustainable CE. This study focuses on a core issue in stakeholder theory: stakeholder interests. In doing so, the study creates knowledge on the nuanced interests and collaboration towards the sustainable CE. Case context: The context of our study is Finland, the northernmost member state of the European Union. Finland provides with an interesting research context as the target of the Finnish government is to make Finland a global leader in the circular economy by 2025. Findings: The findings indicate that the key stakeholders share a joint interest in promoting a sustainable CE. Stakeholders are active in shaping actions towards a sustainable CE, too. Stakeholders emphasize the economic and ecological interests, while social interests - especially wider global social sustainability perspective - remains less important especially among companies and partly industrial organizations. Discussions: Building on stakeholder theory, the study provides a nuanced understanding of how stakeholder interests can be defined and examined as value-based motivations, expectations and stakes. The study demonstrates that stakeholders simultaneously pursue their own CE interests as well as shared interests to promote the sustainable CE in Finland. Moreover, the study suggests that stakeholder interests can be used to create understanding of the dimensions of sustainable development that constitute the sustainable CE. More specifically, the study shows that economic, ecological and local social perspectives related to the sustainable CE are predominantly emphasized. Analyzing stakeholder interests is important since they create a foundation for stakeholder engagement, stakeholder relationships and value creation.

Evaluating wastewater treatment infrastructure systems based on UN Sustainable Development Goals and targets

A multi-criteria comparison of algal-based and activated sludge-based wastewater infrastructure systems based on 30 process parameters derived from the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is presented to assess their environmental, economic, social, and overall sustainability. The classical high-rate algal ponds (HRAP) and an emerging mixotrophic algal system (A-WWT) were selected as algal-based systems; and the conventional activated sludge (CAS) system and the membrane bioreactor (MBR) system, as activated sludge-based systems. Visual PROMETHEE outranking software was adopted to determine the preference scores and ranking of the four systems under twelve distinct scenarios/priorities. The mixotrophic A-WWT emerged as the preferred technology in environmental, economic, and overall sustainability aspects resulting in net positive preference scores (0.40, 0.53, and 0.36, respectively). The MBR system outperformed all the other technologies from the social sustainability perspective due to its lower footprint and better-quality effluent including significant pathogen removal. Even though HRAP was preferred over the CAS system in the context of environmental sustainability (preference scores of −0.22 in HRAP vs −0.27 in CAS), preference scores for them were similar in the context of economic sustainability (−0.33 for HRAP and CAS), and lower from social (−0.14 in CAS vs −0.67 in HRAP) and overall sustainability (−0.22 in CAS vs −0.34 in HRAP) perspectives. Scenario-based assessments indicated that preference ranking is strongly dependent on the decision maker’s priorities. Good agreement between the findings from this study with literature reports adds credence to the validity of the proposed process parameters. Parameters and the method proposed herein could be useful in evaluating wastewater treatment technologies from a sustainability perspective.