10.5 Social Sustainability
279
10.5.1 Equity and Diversity
It is fair to say that the success of a sustainable development program is based
on a community’s ability to provide equitable opportunities and outcomes for
all its members, particularly the poorest and the most vulnerable, in order to
achieve a community development that will benefit the greater amount of people.
Equity and diversity work hand in hand, because they support each other. If every
single member of a community is given an opportunity to have access without
discrimination, it means the basic human and civil rights of individuals are being
respected. Thus, equity involves all people, while diversity will ensure that different
people are represented.
One of the aims of a sustainable social development environment is to increase
the living standards of individuals by providing affordable (and sometimes even
free) health, education, transport, housing, and recreation with the least amount
of environmental degradation . This also means that there should be transparency
in government and policies are in accordance with the sustainability principles
that the community is trying to achieve. Moreover, instead of disintegrating and
fractioning groups, sustainable communities across the world are trying to promote
and encourage diversity. This is done by generating an interdisciplinary model in
which social, economic, and environmental elements are positioned as a whole
to promote an equitable and just society. At the same time, there should also be
a cultural respect in regard to the diversity of sexuality and gender within the
community. So, diversity plays an important role on this specific point because
discrimination towards individuals will not be tolerated and the differences that one
could possibly find will always be accentuated in a positive manner.
In 1943, a psychologist named Maslow proposed a new psychology theory based
on a hierarchy of needs, which he called “A Theory of Human Motivation,” which
basically stated that individuals are motivated to achieve specific needs at a specific
pace (Maslow 2013). For instance, a person will first achieve a physiological need
and will then move onto safety needs, which could include an economic need
for stability. After completing the safety needs, the person will search for social
belonging and this is the area most relevant in terms of social sustainability because
it is where people become more aware of their surroundings in terms of sharing
with the community they reside. As they move on, the need for the next level to be
fulfilled will be created and used as a motivation.
Does Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs provide an accurate account of human
needs? What are the major criticisms of this theory? In what ways can the
theory inform policy formulation and development?
279
10.5.1 Equity and Diversity
It is fair to say that the success of a sustainable development program is based
on a community’s ability to provide equitable opportunities and outcomes for
all its members, particularly the poorest and the most vulnerable, in order to
achieve a community development that will benefit the greater amount of people.
Equity and diversity work hand in hand, because they support each other. If every
single member of a community is given an opportunity to have access without
discrimination, it means the basic human and civil rights of individuals are being
respected. Thus, equity involves all people, while diversity will ensure that different
people are represented.
One of the aims of a sustainable social development environment is to increase
the living standards of individuals by providing affordable (and sometimes even
free) health, education, transport, housing, and recreation with the least amount
of environmental degradation . This also means that there should be transparency
in government and policies are in accordance with the sustainability principles
that the community is trying to achieve. Moreover, instead of disintegrating and
fractioning groups, sustainable communities across the world are trying to promote
and encourage diversity. This is done by generating an interdisciplinary model in
which social, economic, and environmental elements are positioned as a whole
to promote an equitable and just society. At the same time, there should also be
a cultural respect in regard to the diversity of sexuality and gender within the
community. So, diversity plays an important role on this specific point because
discrimination towards individuals will not be tolerated and the differences that one
could possibly find will always be accentuated in a positive manner.
In 1943, a psychologist named Maslow proposed a new psychology theory based
on a hierarchy of needs, which he called “A Theory of Human Motivation,” which
basically stated that individuals are motivated to achieve specific needs at a specific
pace (Maslow 2013). For instance, a person will first achieve a physiological need
and will then move onto safety needs, which could include an economic need
for stability. After completing the safety needs, the person will search for social
belonging and this is the area most relevant in terms of social sustainability because
it is where people become more aware of their surroundings in terms of sharing
with the community they reside. As they move on, the need for the next level to be
fulfilled will be created and used as a motivation.
Does Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs provide an accurate account of human
needs? What are the major criticisms of this theory? In what ways can the
theory inform policy formulation and development?