Many a times sustainability is termed as way of life, but then there is so much of research on technical know how of sustainability. I am curious if we can use such expertise at local level and how effective it is in achieving sustainability? I would like to listen to views of people working in this sector.
To be very precise my questions is - If the technical experts start working with the communities, will it be effective in achieving sustainability - any case studies regarding its effectiveness or ineffectiveness?
Hi, Uma,
You raised an important question. Expert knowledge is neccessarry but is usually insufficinet to assess the sustainability of a practice. Here I would like to share a case with you, where we used expert knowledge, but covered it into a series of parameters and integrated them in the assessment of sustainability rating using a Fuzzy model. Please find the reference:
Duan Z., and Pang, Z.*, Wang X., 2011, Sustainability evaluation of limestone geothermal reservoirs with extended production histories in Beijing and Tianjin, China, Geothermics, 40: 125-135
To be very precise my questions is - If the technical experts start working with the communities, will it be effective in achieving sustainability - any case studies regarding its effectiveness or ineffectiveness?
Hi, speaking about public participation in sustainable urban planning, I would like to share some info on the Japanese practice - Machizukuri. I found that it is an interesting approach which effectively integrating both the expert and local knowledge in improving public's quality of life through town/city planning.
Machizukuri can be most readily translated as community (machi) building/making (zukuri) (Watanabe, 2006), but there is no single English term that fully encompasses its meaning. The term was coined in Japan in the 1960s and 1970s to refer to a civil society reaction to the negative environmental and social consequences of rapid economic growth and the centralised control of the development associated with that growth. Today, the term machizukuri is used, in the relatively limited English language literature on the topic at least, to refer to and encompass a wide range of concepts and activities, with an equally wide range of goals, actors and processes. These can include (but far from exclusively) community involvement in planning and the work of citizens’ environmental and social movements in a diverse range of community, social, economic, environmental and urban change issues.
I have attached some articles with regard to Machizukuri. I am sure that they are a good example to demonstrate how both the expert and local residents work together in bringing a better quality to their daily life.
Hi Uma,
Your question is very interesting and important. Actually we have done a systemic review on the status of literacy of sustainable agriculture in Iran. May the way of measuring sustainability could help you.
All the best
Peyman
Article The status of literacy of sustainable agriculture in Iran: A...
Dear Uma, I think that experts opinion is very important for sustainability, but I do not think that it the main point. The involvement of society in developing is very important. Experts opinion is very helpful and communication with them may be discussed as the key factor of sustainability, but we need experts in different fields to satisfy all criteria and work with community.
This article is very interesting.
http://www.un.org/en/ecosoc/docs/pdfs/fina_08-45773.pdf
Dear Uma,
I may not answer your question directly, but I attach short articles on main tenets of sustainable development i.e. Sustainable economy, sustainable agriculture, sustainable energy, sustainable transport for smart cities.
I would like to assure you that if expert view of point if taken seriously by politicians who are irrational in nature from the economic point, then experts can lead to achieving sustainable development.
Hi
I have used international expert panels in two of my studies. Only has been published so far, hope you find it useful.
Article Developing a Fuzzy Corporate Performance Rating System: A Pe...
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