A Quasi-Systematic Review on Effectiveness of Social and Cultural Sustainability Practices in Built Environment
With the advancement of knowledge about the utility
and impact of sustainability, its feasibility has been explored into
different walks of life. Scientists, however; have established their
knowledge in four areas viz environmental, economic, social and
cultural, popularly termed as four pillars of sustainability. Aspects of
environmental and economic sustainability have been rigorously
researched and practiced and huge volume of strong evidence of
effectiveness has been founded for these two sub-areas. For the social
and cultural aspects of sustainability, dependable evidence of
effectiveness is still to be instituted as the researchers and
practitioners are developing and experimenting methods across the
globe. Therefore, the present research aimed to identify globally used
practices of social and cultural sustainability and through evidence
synthesis assess their outcomes to determine the effectiveness of
those practices. A PICO format steered the methodology which
included all populations, popular sustainability practices including
walkability/cycle tracks, social/recreational spaces, privacy, health &
human services and barrier free built environment, comparators
included ‘Before’ and ‘After’, ‘With’ and ‘Without’, ‘More’ and
‘Less’ and outcomes included Social well-being, cultural coexistence,
quality of life, ethics and morality, social capital, sense of
place, education, health, recreation and leisure, and holistic
development. Search of literature included major electronic
databases, search websites, organizational resources, directory of
open access journals and subscribed journals. Grey literature,
however, was not included. Inclusion criteria filtered studies on the
basis of research designs such as total randomization, quasirandomization,
cluster randomization, observational or single studies
and certain types of analysis. Studies with combined outcomes were
considered but studies focusing only on environmental and/or
economic outcomes were rejected. Data extraction, critical appraisal
and evidence synthesis was carried out using customized tabulation,
reference manager and CASP tool. Partial meta-analysis was carried
out and calculation of pooled effects and forest plotting were done.
As many as 13 studies finally included for final synthesis explained
the impact of targeted practices on health, behavioural and social
dimensions. Objectivity in the measurement of health outcomes
facilitated quantitative synthesis of studies which highlighted the
impact of sustainability methods on physical activity, Body Mass
Index, perinatal outcomes and child health. Studies synthesized
qualitatively (and also quantitatively) showed outcomes such as
routines, family relations, citizenship, trust in relationships, social
inclusion, neighbourhood social capital, wellbeing, habitability and
family’s social processes. The synthesized evidence indicates slight
effectiveness and efficacy of social and cultural sustainability on the
targeted outcomes. Further synthesis revealed that such results of this
study are due weak research designs and disintegrated implementations. If architects and other practitioners deliver their
interventions in collaboration with research bodies and policy
makers, a stronger evidence-base in this area could be generated.
[1] Sev, Aysin.. “How Can The Construction Industry Contribute To
Sustainable Development? A Conceptual Framework”. Sustainable
Development 17 (3): 2009 pp. 161-173.
[2] Robert, Kates W., Thomas M. Parris, and Anthony A. Leiserowitz.
“What Is Sustainable Development? Goals, Indicators, Values, And
Practice”. Environment: Science And Policy For Sustainable
Development 47 (3): 2005. pp. 8-21.
[3] Hawkes J “The fourth pillar of sustainability: culture’s essential role in
public planning” Melbourne: Common Ground Press, 2001,pp. 25-26.
[4] Duxbury, Nancy, and M. Sharon Jeannotte. "Culture, sustainability and
communities: Exploring the myths." In 6th International Conference on
Cultural Policy Research, Jyväskylä, Finland, 2010. pp. 24-27.
[5] Dempsey, Nicola, Glen Bramley, Sinéad Power, and Caroline Brown.
"The social dimension of sustainable development: Defining urban
social sustainability". Sustainable development 19, no. 5. 2011. pp. 289-
300.
[6] Gibson, R, “Beyond the Pillars: Sustainability Assessment as a
Framework for Effective Integration of Social, Economic and Ecological
Consideration in Significant Decision-Making” J. Env. Assmt. Pol.
Mgmt., 08(03), 2006 pp. 259-280.
[7] W. Adger, ‘’Social and ecological resilience: are they related?’’, prog
hum geogr, vol. 24, no. 3, 2000 pp. 347-364.
[8] K. Soini and I. Birkeland, 'Exploring the scientific discourse on cultural
sustainability', Geoforum, vol. 51, 2014, pp. 213-223.
[9] D. Barthel-Bouchier, 'Sacha Kagan, Art and Sustainability: Connecting
Patterns for a Culture of Complexity', International Sociology, vol. 27,
no. 5, 2012, pp. 683-686.
[10] G. Burford, E. Hoover, I. Velasco, S. Janoušková, A. Jimenez, G.
Piggot, D. Podger and M. Harder, “Bringing the “Missing Pillar” into
Sustainable Development Goals: Towards Intersubjective Values-Based
Indicator”, Sustainability, vol. 5, no. 7, 2013, pp. 3035-3059,.
[11] S. Vallance, H. Perkins and J. Dixon, 'What is social sustainability? A
clarification of concepts', Geoforum, vol. 42, no. 3, 2011, pp. 342-348.
[12] Lawrence, Denise L., and Setha M. Low. "The built environment and
spatial form." Annual review of anthropology. 1990. pp.453-505.
[13] MIRAFTAB, FARANAK. "Sustainability in environmental design: case
studies from the vernacular tradition in Iran." Australian Planner 36, no.
4. 1999. Pp. 210-215.
[14] Chiu, Rebecca LH. "Socio‐cultural sustainability of housing: a
conceptual exploration." Housing, Theory and Society 21, no. 2 (2004):
65-76.
[15] Guy, S. and Moore, S. Editors, “ Sustainable Architectures: Cultures
and Natures in Europe and North America. New York and London’ Spon
Press. 2005 Pp-1
[16] Galal Ahmed, K. 2011. 'Evaluation Of Social And Cultural
Sustainability In Typical Public House Models In Al Ain, UAE'. Int. J.
SDP 6 (1)
[17] Cam, C. “A conceptual framework for sociotechno-centric approach to
sustainable development” International Journal of Technology
Management and Sustainable Development, 3(1), 2004 59-66.
[18] Gibberd, J. “Measuring capability for sustainability: the Built
Environment Sustainability Tool (BEST)” Building Research &
Information, 43(1), 2014 pp. 49-61.
[19] Aspinal, S., Sertyesilisik, B., Sourani, A., & Tunstall, A.. “How
Accurately Does Breeam Measure Sustainability?. Creative Education”
03(07), 2012 pp. 1-8.
[20] Chiu, Rebecca L. H. “Socio‐Cultural Sustainability of Housing: A
Conceptual Exploration'. Housing, Theory and Society” 21 (2): 2004.
65-76.
[21] DHOTE K. K. and ONKAR PREETI, “Identifying the sustainable
practices from the vernacular architecture of tribes of central India.”In
Proceeding of 2nd International conference –Workshop on Sustainable
Architecture & Urban design organized by School of Housing, Building
& Planning, University Sains, Penang, Malaysia, March 2012.
[22] Opoku, A. (2015). “The Role of Culture in a Sustainable Built
Environmen” Measuring Operations Performance” 2015 pp.37-52.
[23] Vanegas, J. Road Map and Principles for Built Environment
Sustainability. Environmental Science & Technology, 37(23), 2003,
5363-5372.
[24] Lányi, E. “The basic principles of sustainable architecture” Per. Pol.
Arch., 2007, 38(2), 79.
[25] Duxbury N, “ Cities, culture and sustainable development, Summer
Lab’12: art, climate change and community development”. Torres
Vedras, Portugal, 2012
[26] A. Sharifi and A. Murayama, “Changes in the traditional urban form
and the social sustainability of contemporary cities: A case study of
Iranian citie”. Habitat International, vol. 38, 2013. pp. 126-134.
[27] Bandura, A. “Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral
change. Psychological review”, 84(2), 1977 pp. 191.
[28] Bandura, A. “Self-efficacy mechanism in human agency. American
psychologist.” 37(2), 1982 pp. 122.
[29] Cohen, E. The tourist guide: The origins, structure and dynamics of a
role. Annals of Tourism Research, 12(1), 1985. Pp. 5-29.
[30] Christakis, N. A. “Social networks and collateral health effects.” Bmj,
329(7459), 2004. Pp. 184-185.
[31] Sallis JF, Saelens BE, Frank LD, Conway TL, Slymen DJ, Cain KL, et
al. “Neighborhood built environment and income: examining multiple
health outcomes”. Soc Sci Med. 2009; 68(7):1285–93.
[32] Prince, Stephanie A., Elizabeth A.et al. “A Multilevel Analysis Of
Neighbourhood Built And Social Environments And Adult Self-Reported
Physical Activity And Body Mass Index In Ottawa, Canada”.
International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health 8
(12): 2011. Pp. 3953-3978.
[33] Yang, Tse-Chuan, and Stephen A. Matthews. “The Role Of Social And
Built Environments In Predicting Self-Rated Stress: A Multilevel
Analysis In Philadelphia”. Health & Place 16 (5): 2010. Pp. 803-810.
[34] Williams BL, Pennock-Roman M, Suen HK, Magsumbol MS,
Ozdenerol E. “Assessing the impact of the local environment on birth
outcomes: a case for HLM”. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2007;
17(5):445– 57.
[35] Zeka, Ariana, Steve J Melly, and Joel Schwartz. “The Effects Of
Socioeconomic Status And Indices Of Physical Environment On
Reduced Birth Weight And Preterm Births In Eastern Massachusetts”.
Environmental Health 7 (1): 2008. [36] Yasser Mahgoub, “Cultural Sustainability and Identity: The Case of
Kuwait'. The International Journal of Environmental, Cultural,
Economic and Social Sustainability”. 2007. Pp. 137-144.
[37] Schakib-Ekbatan et al “Occupant satisfaction as an indicator for the
socio-cultural dimension of sustainable office buildings – Development
of an overall building index” In Proceedings of Conference: Adapting to
Change: New Thinking on Comfort Cumberland Lodge, Windsor, UK,
9-11 April 2010. London: Network for Comfort and Energy Use in
Buildings.
[38] Hayward, Erin, Chidinma Ibe, Jeffery Hunter Young, Karthya Potti,
Paul Jones, Craig Evan Pollack, and Kimberly A Gudzune. “Linking
Social And Built Environmental Factors To The Health Of Public
Housing Residents: A Focus Group Study”. BMC Public Health 15 (1).
2015.
[39] Yasser Mahgoub “Socio-Cultural Sustainability of Future Learning
Environments”. Open House International. 2009. Pp. 68-74.
[40] Chuang, Y.-C. “Effects Of Neighbourhood Socioeconomic Status And
Convenience Store Concentration On Individual Level Smoking”.
Journal Of Epidemiology & Community Health 59 (7): 2005. pp. 568-
573.
[41] Ezadpanahi & Elkadi “The Catalyst role of School Architecture in
enhancing Children’s Environmental Behavior” In the Proceedings of
the 30th International PLEA Conference: Sustainable Habitat for
Developing Societies, choosing the way forward” Ahmedabad, India. 1-
3 Dec. 2014.
[42] Ross, Nancy A., et al. "Body mass index in urban Canada: neighborhood
and metropolitan area effects." American Journal of Public Health 97.3
(2007): 500.
[1] Sev, Aysin.. “How Can The Construction Industry Contribute To
Sustainable Development? A Conceptual Framework”. Sustainable
Development 17 (3): 2009 pp. 161-173.
[2] Robert, Kates W., Thomas M. Parris, and Anthony A. Leiserowitz.
“What Is Sustainable Development? Goals, Indicators, Values, And
Practice”. Environment: Science And Policy For Sustainable
Development 47 (3): 2005. pp. 8-21.
[3] Hawkes J “The fourth pillar of sustainability: culture’s essential role in
public planning” Melbourne: Common Ground Press, 2001,pp. 25-26.
[4] Duxbury, Nancy, and M. Sharon Jeannotte. "Culture, sustainability and
communities: Exploring the myths." In 6th International Conference on
Cultural Policy Research, Jyväskylä, Finland, 2010. pp. 24-27.
[5] Dempsey, Nicola, Glen Bramley, Sinéad Power, and Caroline Brown.
"The social dimension of sustainable development: Defining urban
social sustainability". Sustainable development 19, no. 5. 2011. pp. 289-
300.
[6] Gibson, R, “Beyond the Pillars: Sustainability Assessment as a
Framework for Effective Integration of Social, Economic and Ecological
Consideration in Significant Decision-Making” J. Env. Assmt. Pol.
Mgmt., 08(03), 2006 pp. 259-280.
[7] W. Adger, ‘’Social and ecological resilience: are they related?’’, prog
hum geogr, vol. 24, no. 3, 2000 pp. 347-364.
[8] K. Soini and I. Birkeland, 'Exploring the scientific discourse on cultural
sustainability', Geoforum, vol. 51, 2014, pp. 213-223.
[9] D. Barthel-Bouchier, 'Sacha Kagan, Art and Sustainability: Connecting
Patterns for a Culture of Complexity', International Sociology, vol. 27,
no. 5, 2012, pp. 683-686.
[10] G. Burford, E. Hoover, I. Velasco, S. Janoušková, A. Jimenez, G.
Piggot, D. Podger and M. Harder, “Bringing the “Missing Pillar” into
Sustainable Development Goals: Towards Intersubjective Values-Based
Indicator”, Sustainability, vol. 5, no. 7, 2013, pp. 3035-3059,.
[11] S. Vallance, H. Perkins and J. Dixon, 'What is social sustainability? A
clarification of concepts', Geoforum, vol. 42, no. 3, 2011, pp. 342-348.
[12] Lawrence, Denise L., and Setha M. Low. "The built environment and
spatial form." Annual review of anthropology. 1990. pp.453-505.
[13] MIRAFTAB, FARANAK. "Sustainability in environmental design: case
studies from the vernacular tradition in Iran." Australian Planner 36, no.
4. 1999. Pp. 210-215.
[14] Chiu, Rebecca LH. "Socio‐cultural sustainability of housing: a
conceptual exploration." Housing, Theory and Society 21, no. 2 (2004):
65-76.
[15] Guy, S. and Moore, S. Editors, “ Sustainable Architectures: Cultures
and Natures in Europe and North America. New York and London’ Spon
Press. 2005 Pp-1
[16] Galal Ahmed, K. 2011. 'Evaluation Of Social And Cultural
Sustainability In Typical Public House Models In Al Ain, UAE'. Int. J.
SDP 6 (1)
[17] Cam, C. “A conceptual framework for sociotechno-centric approach to
sustainable development” International Journal of Technology
Management and Sustainable Development, 3(1), 2004 59-66.
[18] Gibberd, J. “Measuring capability for sustainability: the Built
Environment Sustainability Tool (BEST)” Building Research &
Information, 43(1), 2014 pp. 49-61.
[19] Aspinal, S., Sertyesilisik, B., Sourani, A., & Tunstall, A.. “How
Accurately Does Breeam Measure Sustainability?. Creative Education”
03(07), 2012 pp. 1-8.
[20] Chiu, Rebecca L. H. “Socio‐Cultural Sustainability of Housing: A
Conceptual Exploration'. Housing, Theory and Society” 21 (2): 2004.
65-76.
[21] DHOTE K. K. and ONKAR PREETI, “Identifying the sustainable
practices from the vernacular architecture of tribes of central India.”In
Proceeding of 2nd International conference –Workshop on Sustainable
Architecture & Urban design organized by School of Housing, Building
& Planning, University Sains, Penang, Malaysia, March 2012.
[22] Opoku, A. (2015). “The Role of Culture in a Sustainable Built
Environmen” Measuring Operations Performance” 2015 pp.37-52.
[23] Vanegas, J. Road Map and Principles for Built Environment
Sustainability. Environmental Science & Technology, 37(23), 2003,
5363-5372.
[24] Lányi, E. “The basic principles of sustainable architecture” Per. Pol.
Arch., 2007, 38(2), 79.
[25] Duxbury N, “ Cities, culture and sustainable development, Summer
Lab’12: art, climate change and community development”. Torres
Vedras, Portugal, 2012
[26] A. Sharifi and A. Murayama, “Changes in the traditional urban form
and the social sustainability of contemporary cities: A case study of
Iranian citie”. Habitat International, vol. 38, 2013. pp. 126-134.
[27] Bandura, A. “Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral
change. Psychological review”, 84(2), 1977 pp. 191.
[28] Bandura, A. “Self-efficacy mechanism in human agency. American
psychologist.” 37(2), 1982 pp. 122.
[29] Cohen, E. The tourist guide: The origins, structure and dynamics of a
role. Annals of Tourism Research, 12(1), 1985. Pp. 5-29.
[30] Christakis, N. A. “Social networks and collateral health effects.” Bmj,
329(7459), 2004. Pp. 184-185.
[31] Sallis JF, Saelens BE, Frank LD, Conway TL, Slymen DJ, Cain KL, et
al. “Neighborhood built environment and income: examining multiple
health outcomes”. Soc Sci Med. 2009; 68(7):1285–93.
[32] Prince, Stephanie A., Elizabeth A.et al. “A Multilevel Analysis Of
Neighbourhood Built And Social Environments And Adult Self-Reported
Physical Activity And Body Mass Index In Ottawa, Canada”.
International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health 8
(12): 2011. Pp. 3953-3978.
[33] Yang, Tse-Chuan, and Stephen A. Matthews. “The Role Of Social And
Built Environments In Predicting Self-Rated Stress: A Multilevel
Analysis In Philadelphia”. Health & Place 16 (5): 2010. Pp. 803-810.
[34] Williams BL, Pennock-Roman M, Suen HK, Magsumbol MS,
Ozdenerol E. “Assessing the impact of the local environment on birth
outcomes: a case for HLM”. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2007;
17(5):445– 57.
[35] Zeka, Ariana, Steve J Melly, and Joel Schwartz. “The Effects Of
Socioeconomic Status And Indices Of Physical Environment On
Reduced Birth Weight And Preterm Births In Eastern Massachusetts”.
Environmental Health 7 (1): 2008. [36] Yasser Mahgoub, “Cultural Sustainability and Identity: The Case of
Kuwait'. The International Journal of Environmental, Cultural,
Economic and Social Sustainability”. 2007. Pp. 137-144.
[37] Schakib-Ekbatan et al “Occupant satisfaction as an indicator for the
socio-cultural dimension of sustainable office buildings – Development
of an overall building index” In Proceedings of Conference: Adapting to
Change: New Thinking on Comfort Cumberland Lodge, Windsor, UK,
9-11 April 2010. London: Network for Comfort and Energy Use in
Buildings.
[38] Hayward, Erin, Chidinma Ibe, Jeffery Hunter Young, Karthya Potti,
Paul Jones, Craig Evan Pollack, and Kimberly A Gudzune. “Linking
Social And Built Environmental Factors To The Health Of Public
Housing Residents: A Focus Group Study”. BMC Public Health 15 (1).
2015.
[39] Yasser Mahgoub “Socio-Cultural Sustainability of Future Learning
Environments”. Open House International. 2009. Pp. 68-74.
[40] Chuang, Y.-C. “Effects Of Neighbourhood Socioeconomic Status And
Convenience Store Concentration On Individual Level Smoking”.
Journal Of Epidemiology & Community Health 59 (7): 2005. pp. 568-
573.
[41] Ezadpanahi & Elkadi “The Catalyst role of School Architecture in
enhancing Children’s Environmental Behavior” In the Proceedings of
the 30th International PLEA Conference: Sustainable Habitat for
Developing Societies, choosing the way forward” Ahmedabad, India. 1-
3 Dec. 2014.
[42] Ross, Nancy A., et al. "Body mass index in urban Canada: neighborhood
and metropolitan area effects." American Journal of Public Health 97.3
(2007): 500.
@article{"International Journal of Business, Human and Social Sciences:71752", author = "Asif Ali and Daud Salim Faruquie", title = "A Quasi-Systematic Review on Effectiveness of Social and Cultural Sustainability Practices in Built Environment", abstract = "With the advancement of knowledge about the utility
and impact of sustainability, its feasibility has been explored into
different walks of life. Scientists, however; have established their
knowledge in four areas viz environmental, economic, social and
cultural, popularly termed as four pillars of sustainability. Aspects of
environmental and economic sustainability have been rigorously
researched and practiced and huge volume of strong evidence of
effectiveness has been founded for these two sub-areas. For the social
and cultural aspects of sustainability, dependable evidence of
effectiveness is still to be instituted as the researchers and
practitioners are developing and experimenting methods across the
globe. Therefore, the present research aimed to identify globally used
practices of social and cultural sustainability and through evidence
synthesis assess their outcomes to determine the effectiveness of
those practices. A PICO format steered the methodology which
included all populations, popular sustainability practices including
walkability/cycle tracks, social/recreational spaces, privacy, health &
human services and barrier free built environment, comparators
included ‘Before’ and ‘After’, ‘With’ and ‘Without’, ‘More’ and
‘Less’ and outcomes included Social well-being, cultural coexistence,
quality of life, ethics and morality, social capital, sense of
place, education, health, recreation and leisure, and holistic
development. Search of literature included major electronic
databases, search websites, organizational resources, directory of
open access journals and subscribed journals. Grey literature,
however, was not included. Inclusion criteria filtered studies on the
basis of research designs such as total randomization, quasirandomization,
cluster randomization, observational or single studies
and certain types of analysis. Studies with combined outcomes were
considered but studies focusing only on environmental and/or
economic outcomes were rejected. Data extraction, critical appraisal
and evidence synthesis was carried out using customized tabulation,
reference manager and CASP tool. Partial meta-analysis was carried
out and calculation of pooled effects and forest plotting were done.
As many as 13 studies finally included for final synthesis explained
the impact of targeted practices on health, behavioural and social
dimensions. Objectivity in the measurement of health outcomes
facilitated quantitative synthesis of studies which highlighted the
impact of sustainability methods on physical activity, Body Mass
Index, perinatal outcomes and child health. Studies synthesized
qualitatively (and also quantitatively) showed outcomes such as
routines, family relations, citizenship, trust in relationships, social
inclusion, neighbourhood social capital, wellbeing, habitability and
family’s social processes. The synthesized evidence indicates slight
effectiveness and efficacy of social and cultural sustainability on the
targeted outcomes. Further synthesis revealed that such results of this
study are due weak research designs and disintegrated implementations. If architects and other practitioners deliver their
interventions in collaboration with research bodies and policy
makers, a stronger evidence-base in this area could be generated.", keywords = "Built environment, cultural sustainability, social
sustainability, sustainable architecture.", volume = "9", number = "12", pages = "4298-8", }