Planning for Urban Social Sustainability: Towards a Human-Centred Operational Approach

In Europe, growing concerns about social segregation and social stability have pushed calls to make cities ‘inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable’ higher on policy agendas. However, how to approach such generic policy objectives and operationalise them for planning practices is still largely un...

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Main Authors: Céline Janssen, Tom A. Daamen, Co Verdaas
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-08-01
Series:Sustainability
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/16/9083
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spelling doaj-5f4f01b63cdc490189dc5290b90e95cc2021-08-26T14:21:59ZengMDPI AGSustainability2071-10502021-08-01139083908310.3390/su13169083Planning for Urban Social Sustainability: Towards a Human-Centred Operational ApproachCéline Janssen0Tom A. Daamen1Co Verdaas2Management in the Built Environment, Delft University of Technology, 2628 BL Delft, The NetherlandsManagement in the Built Environment, Delft University of Technology, 2628 BL Delft, The NetherlandsManagement in the Built Environment, Delft University of Technology, 2628 BL Delft, The NetherlandsIn Europe, growing concerns about social segregation and social stability have pushed calls to make cities ‘inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable’ higher on policy agendas. However, how to approach such generic policy objectives and operationalise them for planning practices is still largely unclear. This article makes a conceptual contribution to the operational understanding of social sustainability in urban planning practices. The article argues that, between theoretical concept and operational forms, different evaluative approaches towards social sustainability may be taken. Evaluating three dimensions of policy operationalisations in The Netherlands, we argue that Amartya Sen’s capability approach provides a promising conceptual framework for operationalising social sustainability in cities in Europe and beyond. We compare capabilities with a more commonly applied resource-based conception to show that the former is more accurate and potentially more effective, because it shifts the evaluative space of social sustainability from means (i.e., urban resources) to ends: the eventual well-being of urban citizens.https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/16/9083social sustainabilityoperationalisationcapability approachurban planning practicesThe Netherlands
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Céline Janssen
Tom A. Daamen
Co Verdaas
spellingShingle Céline Janssen
Tom A. Daamen
Co Verdaas
Planning for Urban Social Sustainability: Towards a Human-Centred Operational Approach
Sustainability
social sustainability
operationalisation
capability approach
urban planning practices
The Netherlands
author_facet Céline Janssen
Tom A. Daamen
Co Verdaas
author_sort Céline Janssen
title Planning for Urban Social Sustainability: Towards a Human-Centred Operational Approach
title_short Planning for Urban Social Sustainability: Towards a Human-Centred Operational Approach
title_full Planning for Urban Social Sustainability: Towards a Human-Centred Operational Approach
title_fullStr Planning for Urban Social Sustainability: Towards a Human-Centred Operational Approach
title_full_unstemmed Planning for Urban Social Sustainability: Towards a Human-Centred Operational Approach
title_sort planning for urban social sustainability: towards a human-centred operational approach
publisher MDPI AG
series Sustainability
issn 2071-1050
publishDate 2021-08-01
description In Europe, growing concerns about social segregation and social stability have pushed calls to make cities ‘inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable’ higher on policy agendas. However, how to approach such generic policy objectives and operationalise them for planning practices is still largely unclear. This article makes a conceptual contribution to the operational understanding of social sustainability in urban planning practices. The article argues that, between theoretical concept and operational forms, different evaluative approaches towards social sustainability may be taken. Evaluating three dimensions of policy operationalisations in The Netherlands, we argue that Amartya Sen’s capability approach provides a promising conceptual framework for operationalising social sustainability in cities in Europe and beyond. We compare capabilities with a more commonly applied resource-based conception to show that the former is more accurate and potentially more effective, because it shifts the evaluative space of social sustainability from means (i.e., urban resources) to ends: the eventual well-being of urban citizens.
topic social sustainability
operationalisation
capability approach
urban planning practices
The Netherlands
url https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/16/9083
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