Sustinable Developmen
tSustainable Development Sust. Dev. 10, 187–196 (2002) Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/sd.199
ENVIRONMENT, ECONOMY AND SOCIETY: FITTING THEM TOGETHER INTO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Bob Giddings, Bill Hopwood* and Geoff O’Brien Sustainable Cities Research Institute, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Sustainable development is a contested concept, with theories shaped by people’s and organizations’ different worldviews, which in turn influence how issues are formulated and actions proposed. It is usually presented as the intersection between environment, society and economy, which are conceived of as separate although connected entities. We would argue that these are not unified entities: rather they are fractured and multi-layered and can be considered at different spatial levels. The economy is often given priority in policies and the environment is viewed as apart from humans. They are interconnected, with the economy dependent on society and the environment while human existence and society are dependent on, and within the environment. The separation of environment, society and economy often leads to a narrow techno-scientific approach, while issues to do with society that are most likely to challenge the present socio-economic structure are often marginalized, in particular the
* Correspondence to: B. Hopwood, Sustainable Cities Research Institute, 6 North Street East, Newcastle-upon-Tyre, NE6 2Jf, UK. E-mail: william.hopwood@unn.ac.uk
Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
sustainability of communities and the maintenance of cultural diversity. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Received 1 February 2001 Revised 18 April 2001 Accepted 24 April 2001
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: A CONTESTED CONCEPT ustainable development is a contested concept with a wide range of meanings. It is embraced by big business, governments, social reformers and environmental activists, all of
ENVIRONMENT, ECONOMY AND SOCIETY: FITTING THEM TOGETHER INTO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Bob Giddings, Bill Hopwood* and Geoff O’Brien Sustainable Cities Research Institute, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Sustainable development is a contested concept, with theories shaped by people’s and organizations’ different worldviews, which in turn influence how issues are formulated and actions proposed. It is usually presented as the intersection between environment, society and economy, which are conceived of as separate although connected entities. We would argue that these are not unified entities: rather they are fractured and multi-layered and can be considered at different spatial levels. The economy is often given priority in policies and the environment is viewed as apart from humans. They are interconnected, with the economy dependent on society and the environment while human existence and society are dependent on, and within the environment. The separation of environment, society and economy often leads to a narrow techno-scientific approach, while issues to do with society that are most likely to challenge the present socio-economic structure are often marginalized, in particular the
* Correspondence to: B. Hopwood, Sustainable Cities Research Institute, 6 North Street East, Newcastle-upon-Tyre, NE6 2Jf, UK. E-mail: william.hopwood@unn.ac.uk
Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
sustainability of communities and the maintenance of cultural diversity. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Received 1 February 2001 Revised 18 April 2001 Accepted 24 April 2001
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: A CONTESTED CONCEPT ustainable development is a contested concept with a wide range of meanings. It is embraced by big business, governments, social reformers and environmental activists, all of
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