Implementing urban sustainability strategies has proven to be difficult. This paper aims at developing a holistic understanding of the urban sustainability concept with the help of a conceptual model, as well as offering a framework for understanding and researching the implementation of urban sustainability strategies. Here, individual behaviour change is understood as one of the main objectives of such strategies. Through a conceptual model, four types of opposing and sometimes contradictory relationships are identified: (1) between global aims and local implementation, (2) between institutional pressure and the behaviour of individuals, (3) between strategic measures and personal consequences and (4) between attitudes and behaviour. These relationships are discussed in order to illustrate stalling factors in urban sustainability implementation.Looking at behaviour change as a major goal of urban sustainability implementation, several social and individual behavioural theories are reviewed in order to construct a holistic and a compound model of the dynamics of behavioural change. By revealing a dual implementation process, consisting of provision on one side and choice on the other, we demarcate several important aspects for realising and researching urban sustainability strategies and their effectiveness. A more holistic way of assessing and monitoring the implementation of urban sustainability strategies is also proposed. The paper argues that rather than looking at the changes in the urban population's behaviour as a result, we must view them as an internal and essential sub-concept of urban sustainability.
This paper supports an understanding of individual behaviour as an inherent part of a holistic approach to implementing urban sustainability. Based on this premise, the types of behaviour that are associated with the implementation of urban sustainability are highlighted. Challenging the tacit assumption that behaviour can be changed by merely changing policy and the built environment, an expanded view of behaviour change is proposed. This includes a literature study of other relevant disciplines investigating key factors that impact on individual decisionmaking, which are categorised as socio-cultural, demographic and psychological. Also, the importance of habitual behaviour as mitigating factor for behaviour change is discussed.In conclusion, a schematic model of the individual's role in decision-making and thus on urban sustainability realisation is proposed. The purpose of this is to clarify the duality between provision and use of urban sustainability strategies. As such, this paper constitutes preliminary work to the development of a holistic and integrated theory and research framework for the implementation of urban sustainability taking into account infrastructure, policy, behaviour and other aspects.
Implementing urban sustainability strategies has proven to be difficult. Therefore this paper aims at developing a better understanding of the urban sustainability concept as well as its relations with other concepts. The visualisation of the complex and intricate forces which constitute urban sustainability is attempted with the help of a graphic model.The dialectic relationship between global aims and local implementation, as well as the antagonistic relationship between institutional pressure and the behaviour of individuals and communities is discussed. Also, the sometimes opposing forces in the urban sustainability concept itself are discussed, as well as the difficulties individuals face when implementing urban sustainability strategies in the light if personal disadvantages.Due to this difficult and resistant implementation process of urban sustainability, we search for new perspectives. Here, the diffusion theory of innovations by Rogers (Diffusion and Innovation, 2003) is applied in order to approach urban sustainability as ideological and social innovation, and interpret the implementation as a socio-dynamic rather than a political or planning process.It seems that the understanding of urban sustainability as a social innovation holds some helpful insights into why implementation so far has been difficult. Based on this individuals and their choices are proposed to become in intrinsic part of the urban sustainability concept.
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