Social Sustainability Criteria Research Articles

Exploring equality and sustainability trade-offs of energy transition outcomes in the United States in 2050

With increasing focus on equitable and just energy transition, it is critical to understand the trade-offs of different decarbonization outcomes across economic, environmental, and social sustainability criteria. In this analysis, we use a multi-criteria decision analysis to quantify sustainability outcomes across 32 decarbonization outcomes in 2050 in the U.S. The economic sustainability criteria we use are system cost, national average retail rate, and electricity system employment. The environmental sustainability criteria we use are life cycle greenhouse gas emissions, life cycle water depletion, life cycle land transformation, and air pollution fatalities. The social sustainability (distributional impacts) criteria we use are retail rate equality across states, electricity employment equality across low-income households, and air pollution disparities across census tracts. We evaluate performance across these criteria under eleven different stakeholder preference scenarios. We find that decarbonization policies with indefinitely extended tax credits have the highest sustainability score under equal criteria weighting, with greater investments in renewable energy technologies, and result in better environmental, system cost, job, and air pollution disparities compared to mid-case scenarios, that only include current policies and CO2 reduction targets. We also see that our multi-criteria decision analysis identifies decarbonization outcomes that would not have been identified as optimal under a single objective, which highlights the importance of trade-off analyses to understand decarbonization outcomes more holistically.

Bibliometric Analysis of Key Issues and Objectives in Environmental, Economic, and Social Sustainable Project Management

The environmental, economic, and social sustainability of construction project management was researched through a literature review in this study. This paper aimed to analyze the trends in studies about issues in sustainable project management and to research the importance and components of environmental, economic, and social sustainability and their interrelationships. In the scope of the bibliometric analysis, the articles were analyzed by their publication years, authors, authors' countries, authors' organizations, and keyword occurrences. Then, the problems in ensuring the sustainability of construction project management and suggestions for overcoming these problems were reviewed. In previous studies, high energy and raw material consumption and waste became the main factors that prevented environmental sustainability. A strong relationship was found between economic sustainability and life cycle cost assessment, and effective stakeholder engagement is considered the major contributor to the social sustainability of construction management. Sustainability regulations and policies, managerial capabilities, and organizational learning also have critical significance for achieving sustainable construction. The dimensions of sustainability in construction management are closely related to one another, and each one is crucial to achieving the other aspects of sustainability in construction projects. Therefore, a comprehensive strategy that takes into account social, economic, and environmental sustainability criteria should be adopted in construction project management.

Dynamic capabilities of the SMEs for sustainable innovation performance: role of environmental turbulence

PurposeThis study aims to investigate how dynamic capabilities, i.e. sensing, learning, integrating and coordinating trigger sustainable innovation performance. It also examines the direct and moderating role of environmental turbulence towards the sustainable innovation performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected through a cross-sectional survey of 169 SMEs in Oman and analysed through structural equation modelling using SmartPLS software.FindingsFindings of this study reveal that the sustainable innovation performance of SMEs is greatly influenced by the synergy of learning, integrating and coordinating capabilities. Notably, among these capabilities, coordinating capability emerges as the most important capability for SMEs with a primary emphasis on fostering both human and organizational well-being. However, this research reveals that building dynamic capabilities alone might not be sufficient to address social, ecological and economic sustainability criteria, and SMEs may need to extend their view beyond internal processes and integrate various environmental contingencies into their approaches while focusing on sustainable innovation performance.Practical implicationsThis research is useful for business managers while allocating resources in their business efficiently and effectively to achieve sustainable innovation performance. It also highlights that SMEs need to integrate various environmental contingencies into their approaches while focusing on sustainable innovation performance.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to contribute to SME scholarship by mainly investigating the effect of specific four types of dynamic capabilities on sustainable innovation performance in a turbulent environment. This study is likely to contribute to the SMEs addressing sustainability innovation performance and develop capabilities to be sustainable in a turbulent environment.

An Examination of Mass Housing Residents' Satisfaction with Social Sustainability

With an increased demand for housing, mass housing focuses on speed and economic benefit and standardizes. Different user groups cannot find answers to some of their physical and social needs in this housing and its surroundings. This circumstance generates socially unsustainable regions. From this point of view, the study seeks answers to the questions "What is the social sustainability satisfaction level of the users?" and "Is there a statistically significant difference between the social sustainability satisfaction levels and the different characteristics of the users in the existing mass housing areas?" So, the study reveals the criteria necessary for ensuring social sustainability, defines the level of satisfaction with the fulfillment of these criteria, and determines the statistical difference in satisfaction based on resident characteristics. The link between housing and social sustainability was evaluated using the criteria of social equity and sustainability of community. 87 residents filled out the questionnaire form in a mass housing complex in Istanbul. Researchers used descriptive statistics, the Mann Whitney-U, and the Kruskal-Walis tests to define the statistical difference between social sustainability parameters and the demographic characteristics of the residents. The analysis revealed that inclusion and spatial diversity satisfaction on the housing scale were at the highest level and satisfaction with the Participation criteria was at the lowest level in ensuring social sustainability. The results of the Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests are as follows: The spatial diversity satisfaction differed in terms of education, economic status, housing type, and length of residence; the social diversity satisfaction differed in terms of gender and age; and the accessibility sub-criterion differed in terms of gender. Only social interaction satisfaction differed by gender, education, and employment status among the sustainability of community criteria. The satisfaction of inclusion, security, community stability, sense of place, and participation were unaffected by demographic characteristics.

Developing Social Sustainability Criteria and Indicators in Urban Planning: A Holistic and Integrated Perspective

One of the main reasons for today’s urban problems is the disregarding of social sustainability in urban interventions and the lack of an approach that evaluates social sustainability with all its issues as a universal and holistic one. In this context, the aim of this study is to determine and categorize social sustainability criteria, objectives, and indicators to measure and to assess social sustainability for ensuring the sustainability of cities that could be used in all urban areas and applied in urban planning. Within this scope, social sustainability criteria, objectives, and indicators identified by international organizations and academic/scientific studies on different scales and in urban areas were evaluated systematically and analytically. A matrix has been generated according to the frequency of occurrence of social sustainability criteria and indicators. Although research studies focus on criteria and indicators according to scale, subject, and specified matters. It is a necessity to identify social sustainability criteria and indicators that can be used on every scale and in every urban area. Accordingly, ten criteria have been determined: population, accessibility, education and skills, health, housing, security, belonging, participation, social capital and social cohesion, urban life quality, satisfaction, and adequacy of services. Based on the criteria, targets, sub-targets, indicators, and indicator definitions for each criterion have been identified. However, the significance of each criterion is addressed, as well as the reasons for their necessity for social sustainability. This study proposes a universal, detailed, and holistic perspective for the measurement and assessment of social sustainability that enables the use of both quantitative and qualitative data together and envisages the use of mixed techniques in obtaining and evaluating data. In addition, criteria and indicator systems will be able to guide practitioners and policymakers to make decisions related to the social structure before and after the implementation of urban projects.

Assessing Sustainability Priorities of U.S. Food Hub Managers: Results from a National Survey

Food hubs have emerged as innovative alternatives to the conventional United States food system. As aggregators of small local farms, food hubs hold the potential to transform food production, distribution, and consumption, while fostering environmental sustainability and social equity. However, assessing their contributions to environmental sustainability and social equity is challenging due to the diverse structures and practices of U.S. food hubs. This study presents the findings of a national survey of food hub managers conducted in 2022 to assess the sustainability objectives and practices of food hubs across the United States. Our survey questions were designed based on a comprehensive framework of social and environmental sustainability criteria. Our results reveal that food hubs make valuable contributions in supporting small producers and providing healthy local food options. However, there is room for improvement in their environmental sustainability practices, as they only meet 47% of the defined environmental sustainability goals. Addressing food insecurity is a high priority for food hubs, although not their top priority, and many offer fresh food access to low-income households. Food hubs also contribute to environmental sustainability by reducing food transportation, promoting healthy food production methods, and minimizing waste. While food hubs meet 67% of the defined social sustainability goals, there are opportunities for improvement in reaching important institutional stakeholders and enhancing consumer education on healthy nutrition and lifestyles. Expanding technical assistance for farmers is also critical. By addressing these opportunities for improvement, food hubs can drive progress towards a more resilient and equitable food system in the United States.

Impact of Waste as a Substrate on Biomass Formation, and Optimization of Spent Microbial Biomass Re-Use by Sustainable Metabolic Engineering

Biomass residue and waste stream bioconversion is a key pillar for successful transition toward sustainable bioeconomy. Spent microbial biomass (SMB) is a unique type of nutrient-rich residue generated from fermentation. This study addresses the waste–SMB–substrate cycle in fermentation. Data from a range of published fermentation processes using waste and non-waste substrates are analyzed for a variety of fermentation products including alcohols and biofuels, amino acids, polymers (PHA), and organic acids. On average, fermentation of waste substrates produces similar, or up to two–three times higher, amounts of SMB compared to purified substrates. SMB production from waste substrates is further illustrated with data from PHA production. The amino acid composition of SMB from 6 industrially relevant microorganisms is compared and shows relatively low variety (2–8%). The return of SMB as a (co-)substrate in fermentation is then considered by building upon the novel concept of sustainable metabolic engineering (SME). SME incorporates economic, environmental, and social sustainability criteria in its optimization algorithm to select microbial strain designs resulting in the most sustainable products. An example of SME application for SMB amino acid re-use by engineered Escherichia coli is demonstrated and discussed. A design with dual production of succinate and ethanol was found to be the most sustainable.

A polycentric network strategy for regional diversification of agriculture: theory and implementation

Widespread and substantial diversification of current agroecosystems appears fundamental to meeting many grand challenges in agriculture. Despite urgent calls for diversification on regional scales, particularly in regions dominated by industrialized, low-diversity agriculture, strategies for diversification on such scales are in early stages of development, conceptually and practically. We outline such a strategy, and its implementation by the Forever Green Partnership, a public-private-NGO coalition in support of agricultural diversification in the U.S. Midwest region. Our strategy supports introduction and scaling of multiple novel crops in a region, which requires development of many interdependent supporting elements, including supportive markets, infrastructure, policy, finance, and R&D. The core of our strategy is development of sustainable supply chains (SSCs) for a set of novel crops. We define SSCs as rudimentary systems of these supporting elements for novel crops, linking on-farm crop production to end-use markets while advancing economic, environmental, and social sustainability criteria that are demanded by stakeholders. SSCs provide a scaffold upon which fully-developed support systems for multiple novel crops can be constructed, thus driving regional diversification. SSCs cannot be “built in a day”; rather they must evolve as production of novel crops expands over time and space, and as new challenges and opportunities emerge. Therefore, regional diversification requires a system to sustain this evolutionary process across time and multiple novel crops. We posit that an effective system can be built from two crucial elements: a process of conscious and concerted cultural evolution, and a polycentric network that organizes and supports that process. We outline this system and its conceptual basis, and its implementation by the Forever Green Partnership, and associated challenges and accomplishments. Three years after its inception, the Partnership has attracted substantial resources, developed a polycentric network, and some elements of the cultural-evolution process are in place. However, node development is uneven across the network, hindering its operation. In addition to advancing strategies for regional-scale diversification, the Partnership is seeking to advance conceptual and practical understanding of sustainability transitions in agriculture, and to explore the potential value of conscious cultural evolution in such transitions.

Operational excellence framework for sustainability in the organisation: a design science approach

Sustainable operational excellence (OPEX) initiatives result in a competitive advantage by optimising the use of resources, contributing to profitability, and leading to expanded growth of organisations. OPEX being a practice-led initiative has no standard framework leading to sustainable OPEX efforts in organisations. In this study, we employ the Design Science Research (DSR) approach to develop a framework to assess the sustainability of OPEX initiatives in an organisation. The proposed framework evaluates OPEX initiatives based on operational, economic, environmental, and social sustainability criteria. Besides, the enablers for the sustainability of OPEX initiatives are identified. The enablers, as well as multidimensional assessment criteria of OPEX initiatives, help the organisation develop a methodological approach for implementing sustainable OPEX solutions. The current success rate for OPEX initiatives in organisations has been dismally poor, and the proposed framework will help improve the success of OPEX efforts. Practitioners can use the proposed framework first to assess their organisational readiness in terms of enablers before implementing OPEX initiatives and evaluate qualitatively and quantitatively to obtain a multidimensional perspective for sustainable solutions. The frameworks proposed in prior studies are predominantly conceptual. This study used the DSR methodology to demonstrate the validity of the proposed framework.

Assessment of social sustainability performance for residential building

The need for residential buildings has been increasing over time. Because a residential building has a long-life cycle and influences the life of the community in which it is situated, it is necessary to assess performance in terms of social sustainability. Social sustainability is a component of sustainable development that has a relationship with community interest. This study proposes a framework for evaluating the social sustainability of residential buildings using social network analysis (SNA) and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE). We use SNA to visualize relationships between the stakeholders with their interests pertaining to social sustainability variables or criteria. FCE is applied to quantify the perceptions of stakeholders regarding the performance of the social sustainability criteria. The assessment framework compares the stakeholders’ expectations with existing performance to determine whether the building has provided maximum benefits to society. We applied the framework to a real case involving a residential building in Indonesia to demonstrate its efficacy. The results demonstrate that the model is capable of assessing the social sustainability performance in this type of construction.

Organizational Models and Dynamic Capabilities: From Bureaucratic Structures to a Freedom and Emotional Management for a Sustainable, Participative and Innovative Bank. The Case of Italian Banks

The thesis that we support in this introductory work, and which we propose for discussion and technical-scientific debate, is that even the online bank, and even better the digital bank, towards which we are moving with ever-increasing acceleration, cannot escape the trends, now widespread in businesses, towards flexible and decentralized models, which recognize the principle of self-organization and empowerment, and therefore towards organizational forms that involve and participate managers and employees. Organizational models that place human capital and the ethical-motivational wellbeing of people (workers and managers) at the centre and that, if involved in decision-making processes, are capable not only of increasing dynamic capabilities but also of innovating them (renewing) by leveraging, above all, the enhancement of middle management. In this work we argue that the characteristics of organizational models promote the dynamic capabilities in a circular approach integrating vertical and horizontal competences in a flattening organization. Freedom and Emotional management shape organizations capable of adapting and regenerating even in rapidly changing environments. Reinforcing this position is the circumstance that Italian banks find themselves having to redesign their business and managerial models not only to make them economically and financially sustainable to counter the current profitability crisis, but also to make them consistent with social (and environmental) sustainability criteria by adapting to the new European regulation. A transformation that push towards the increasing convergence of eco-efficiency and eco-effectiveness with more participating and creative human resources for the resilience.

Social sustainability indicators for road infrastructure projects: A systematic literature review

Australia’s population is predicted to grow to 31.4 million by 2034, according to Infrastructure Australia Audit 2019, resulting in additional demand for road infrastructure. Although road infrastructure projects have a significant positive impact at the regional level regarding reduced travel time, improved accessibility, and amenities, they may also have negative social impacts at the local level. However, road infrastructure projects are often seen as key drivers of economic development. Social aspects are generally less considered in the decision-making process of the project lifecycle. The existing sustainability assessment models focus on economic and environmental aspects and lack social considerations. To bridge the gap, this paper aims to examine the existing literature on social sustainability in the construction industry and identify the social aspects and relevant indicators to be considered in assessing the social sustainability performance of road infrastructure projects. Through systematic literature review, using Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCO and google search databases from an initial set of 1178 journals, conference papers, books, book chapters and other relevant industry reports, 80 articles related to social sustainability in the construction industry were selected for the study. Based on the analysis, nine social sustainability criteria such as quality of life, equity, employment, health and safety, stakeholder participation, culture and heritage, compensation strategies, governance, macro-social activities and 78 respective indicators were identified. The findings of this study may assist policymakers and industry practitioners in developing comprehensive assessment models for benchmarking social sustainability in Australian road infrastructure projects.

Solidarna ekonomija u javnim politikama u Hrvatskoj

This paper provides an analysis of the practical implications of the concept of solidarity economy and the elements of public policies that affect the solidarity economy in Croatia. In a broader sense, solidarity is a common component of economic behaviour. In a narrower sense, solidarity refers to a set of economic practices that meet the criteria of balancing economic, social and environmental sustainability, joint ownership and participatory governance. Solidarity economy supports the construction and maintenance of common economic goods, which may occur within legal entities, as well as in contractual relations or informal cooperation. Solidarity economy is close to the concept of social economy, and significantly different from collaborative (sharing) economy. Public policies that encourage solidarity-based economic practices have their origins in the welfare state regime and the level of solidarity in society, which is followed by ideologies, strategies and activities of political and economic actors. The social contributions of the solidarity economy and the risks to which it is exposed justify state intervention in this area, which can be reflected in regulation and institutional, financial and tax support to its actors and processes. Public policies in Croatia generally do not recognise the importance of the social and solidarity economy and its actors, such as cooperatives and social enterprises. Although the recognition of possible contributions of the social and solidarity economy to society and the economy in Croatia is growing, the incentive framework is incomplete and insufficient, which is reflected in the results and future prospects of this sector. Key words: solidarity, solidarity economy, public policy, cooperatives, social enterprises.

The Pentagon Model of Urban Social Sustainability: An Assessment of Sociospatial Aspects, Comparing Two Neighborhoods

Social concerns have caused a critical rethinking of urban space in today’s society, with sociospatial issues at the forefront of discussions. This study aims to better understand the relationship between sociospatial aspects of urban space and social sustainability. We provide a pentagon model for urban social sustainability by identifying five dimensions: person (demographic and household characteristics), place (accessibility, social infrastructure, open spaces, and places for daily operations), people (sense of community, social relations, and social network), perception (sense of place, and security and safety), and process (participation, and future of space). The research methodology includes a spatial analysis, questionnaire survey, and statistical analyses, applied to two study areas in Izmir, Turkey. The findings show that the two study areas have significantly different scores in terms of social sustainability criteria. Residents who reported their neighborhood as being more accessible and having better places for daily operations indicated a higher sense of place and participation. Residents who rated their open spaces more highly reported better social relations and social networks, and greater security and safety. In addition, there are a variety of positive associations between indicators of social sustainability. The study summarizes the relationship between social sustainability indicators, followed by a discussion.

ALTERNATIVES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BULKY FEED MARKET IN UKRAINE

Abstract. The research is devoted to the problem of the ruminant bulky feed market formation in Ukraine in conditions of the world economic integration processes. The dynamics of bulk feed production in Ukraine, supply and demand in the domestic market have been studied. By means of benchmarking price trends in the hay market in Ukraine and England are analyzed. The study found that feeding ruminants will be complete only if all nutrients and biologically active substances are available in the diet in optimal quantities and ratios. Regression analysis proved the direct dependence of cow productivity on production and supply of bulk feed. It is established that Ukraine has favorable natural and economic conditions to meet domestic demand for bulk feed and for the formation of significant export potential. It was found that the integration process of Ukrainian agricultural producers into the world market requires constant analytical study of the sectorial market changes, considering peculiarities of domestic production of bulk feed, highlighting key factors of Ukraine’s presence and potential in the agricultural market of Europe and Asia with account of safety and quality criteria of feed, environmental, social and economic sustainability of feed suppliers. Among the main factors improving the situation on the market of bulky feed are the following: introduction of new technologies for hay and pelleted feed production; creation of feed centers for the industrialized high-quality feed procurement and composing rational mixed diets for various farm animals; development of state programs to support feed production; formation of the legislative basis for the feed industry development; further standardization and certification of its products in accordance with international and European requirements, aimed at promoting integration in the world market and achieving sustainable competitive advantages. Keywords: bulky feed market, export, hay, silage, price, benchmarking analysis, feed quality. JEL Classification Q11, Q12, Q13, Q17 Formulas: 0; fig.: 3; tabl.: 3; bibl.: 18.

Prioritizing Indicators for Sustainability Assessment in Manufacturing Process: An Integrated Approach

Sustainable manufacturing has renewed attention among researchers to address various sustainability challenges in manufacturing industries. Sustainability assessments of manufacturing organizations help minimize the negative environmental impact and enhance reputation among public and regulatory agencies. To assess the sustainability of the manufacturing process; it is indispensable to investigate the structured set of triple bottom line (3BL) indicators. Moreover, there is no comprehensive and structured set of 3BL indicators that can effectively assess the sustainability of any organization’s manufacturing process. This research aims to identify and prioritize experts’ consensus structured set of 3BL indicators. The 3BL indicators were identified through an open-ended questionnaire. The prioritization was performed through the Best-Worst Scaling (BWS) approach. Further, Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) method was utilized to draw the consensus ranking of sustainability indicators in manufacturing. The findings indicated that the release of greenhouse/harmful gas is the best indicator in the perspective of environmental criteria followed by the rate of contribution to society and operational cost are the most important critical indicator in the case of social and economic sustainability criteria. The outcome of the present study will facilitate researchers and practitioners in developing suitable readiness and operational plans for the sustainability assessment of the manufacturing process.

Social Technologies as a Social Sustainability Practice

Social Technologies (ST) can emphasize social sustainability and provide improvements in human beings’ basic condition. This study aims to analyze whether ST carried out between restaurants and their partners also promoted social sustainability. It is a qualitative, descriptive and multicase study, with cases selected by judging. It was possible to realized that the cooperative experiences were characterized as ST, since they were activities organized and systematized, with social relevance and effectiveness and that dialogued amongst knowledge, so that it would promote social sustainability. The cooperative experiments here studied fit in the social sustainability criteria, where they promoted opportunities for stable jobs, income generation, promotion of workers' rights, professional development, training and increase of the skills of those involved. Information sharing and trust were fundamental to the success of actions. As not all partnerships and processes were formalized, social relationships and reciprocity helped the development of activities.

Социо-эколого-экономическая устойчивость северного региона на основе модели «окно устойчивости»

A review of the scientific literature and other materials related to sustainable development and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals at the national level shows that there is a need to take into account all aspects of sustainable development: environmental, social, economic. In this regard, monitoring and measuring the sustainability of the development of regional social, ecological and economic systems, the pace of change, determining the vector of development of the main components and their relationship are of high relevance. The analysis revealed the methodology of sustainable development window (SuWi) applied for an integral assessment of the social, ecological and economic sustainability of the northern region. This methodology takes into account the principles of sustainable development to the greatest extent. Methodology’s scope is to determine the parameters of minimum and maximum economic development, highlight the GDPmin – GDPmax interval (or a sustainability window), which helps economic development meet the criteria of social and environmental sustainability. The parameters of the window’s minimum level are determined by social criteria, while the window’s the maximum level – by environmental ones. The sustainability window scope is defined as follows: an analytical database (2007–2019) of the northern region (Komi Republic) is compiled in economic, social and environmental dimensions; assessment criteria (indicators) for the main components of sustainable development are reasoned; their index relative to the base year is assessed (in absolute value and intensity); the lower and upper limits of the stability window are defined by calculation and graphical methods, the window’s integral width is found taking into account all indicators. SuWi analysis of social sustainability showed that “wages” and “life expectancy at birth” out of the five indicators correspond to the minimum level of economic growth. At the same time, it should be noted that since 2017, economic performance decline has been a constraining factor for the region’s social development in terms of these indicators as well. The authors arrive at the conclusion that the situation in the development of the northern region is unfavorable, primarily in the social sphere due to the long-term decline in the gross regional product (which is below its baseline since 2014), which requires enhanced economic growth. The study gives valuable results in sustainability-window based social, ecological and economic sustainability analysis, which makes the study relevant. The methodology of the sustainable development window can be built into the management decisions system for the respective authorities. In the future, research should be focused on improving the economic stability of the region, conducting an in-depth analysis of the possibilities aimed to overcome the recession identified in this paper.

Ipotesi di processo di riuso adattivo e valorizzazione sociale degli immobili ecclesiastici

Abandoned or disused ecclesiastical buildings located in Italy, in particular religious houses, are destined to increase in number in the near future. Pope Francis promoted events and texts suggesting ways and perspectives of reuse. By analysing two cases of social real estate enhancement of religious houses – the community of families Il chiostro in the Capuchin convent of Cerro Maggiore (Milan) and the project FOQUS at the institute Montecalvario in Naples – we have been able to formulate a hypothesis of adaptive reuse process in respect of the ecclesiastical goods. The two religious houses object of this study are to this day ecclesiastical property. They are being managed by non-profit organizations with purposes similar to those of the property. The adaptive reuse respects criteria of architectural, social and economic sustainability, to which are added those of ecclesial type. The adaptive reuse of religious houses should follow the principles of circular economy and ecological conversion while being environmentally friendly. It should also follow the principles of social justice invoked by the pontifical magisterium, in particular with the encyclical Laudato si’. The social real estate enhancement of religious houses should be a sustainable process that follows the intrinsic values of the ecclesiastical heritage, the doctrine of the Church, and the common good.

Identification of Effective Integrated Indicators for Sustainable Affordable Housing Provision

The affordable housing sector is receiving increasing attention in developed and developing countries. That attention increased due to the economic inflation and the increasing population growth, which generated a housing deficit affecting low and middle-income households. Accordingly, the research gap emerged with the need to search for affordable and sustainable housing in the residential built environment that meets low- and middle-income family groups’ economic, social and environmental sustainability criteria. This paper focused on identifying the most important planning and design indicators contributing to affordable housing provision, integrated with sustainability criteria to achieve part of the comprehensive sustainable development vision. This study aims to identify indicators and produce a framework that works as a guideline to provide reasonable housing that is adequate for low and middle-income groups and to reduce householders’ tolerance of its operational costs. A preliminary list of 72 sustainability performance indicators of affordable housing was identified through an extensive literature review. This was followed by a derived two stages framework to define housing affordability. These findings provide useful references for policymakers as well as industry practitioners to develop affordable housing programs sustainably. This helps to achieve the sustainable development at the regional scale.