A Developer’s Translation of Social Sustainability: Communities that “Take Care of Themselves”

ABSTRACT

Scholars consider socially sustainable communities to be equitable, diverse, connected and democratic. This article examines how a property developer translates and works with concepts of social sustainability, with implications for social cohesion and equity. It draws on interviews with managers and residents in two Australian neighbourhoods to illustrate how commercial translations of social sustainability can promote the agency of residents, albeit with the purpose of realising the developer’s vision for the neighbourhood. The article highlights how property developers who focus on commercial goals face challenges in creating inclusive and deliberative forums through which residents keep the developer’s priorities in check.

摘要

学者们认为社会上可持续发展的社区是公平的、多样的、相互联系的和民主的. 本文探讨了房地产开发商如何翻译和工作与社会可持续性的概念，与社会凝聚力和公平的影响. 它通过对澳大利亚两个街区的管理者和居民的访谈来说明社会可持续性的商业翻译如何促进居民的代理，尽管目的是实现开发商对街区的愿景. 这篇文章强调了专注于商业目标的房地产开发商如何面对挑战，如何创建包容性和审议性的论坛，通过这些论坛，居民可以控制开发商的优先事项.

KEYWORDS:

• Social sustainability
• social cohesion
• property developer
• master planned estate
• Australia

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).