Measuring Sustainability - Learning from Doing

Hardback  208 pages  ISBN 9781853838392      £80.00

Softcover  208 pp  ISBN 9781853838439      £23.00

Measuring the sustainability of development is crucial to achieving it, and is one of the most actively studied issues in the area. To date, most studies of measurements or indicators have been largely theoretical.

However, this book, a follow-on to Bell and Morse€s highly influential Sustainability Indicators (1999), presents valuable practical advice on how to develop measurements that will work in real-life development contexts. It describes and analyses how to derive, validate and apply indicators in the course of an actual development project € in this case the Mediterranean Action Plan in Malta.

The authors explain the trade-offs and constraints involved and how it is possible to combine the open-ended and flexible perspectives of sustainability with the more linear processes and fixed targets of specific projects through the use of pragmatic and reflective methodologies.

List of Figures, Tables and Boxes

Preface

Acknowledgements

List of Acronyms and Abbreviations

1 The Brave New Frontier of Sustainability: Where are We?

Introduction
What is sustainable development?
Gauging progress
Multiple perspectives
Public participation: talk and action
Summary

2 Sustainability Indicators: A Brief Review

Introduction
Indicators of sustainable development
Integration of sustainable development indicators
The reference condition
Using indicators of sustainable development
Summary

3 Systemic Sustainability Analysis and Prospective

Introduction
Personal background to the field work
The importance of the subjective
Background to CAMP Malta
Technical specification for SSA
Familiarizing the Maltese SSA team
What are SSA and SPSA and how are they different?
SSA and Blue Plan approaches

4 Doing SPSA: Some Reflective Experience

Introduction
Stage 1 Find out how things are: reflection
Stage 2 Understand the context for sustainability indicators: reflection/connection
Stage 3 Gather the stakeholders in the sustainability indicator process: reflection/connection
Stage 4 Get clear on methods: connection
Stage 5 Identify the stakeholder coalition: connection
Stage 6 Identify and agree the main SIs: connection/modelling
Stage 7 Identify and agree the band of equilibrium: modelling
Stage 8 Develop the AMOEBA in a collaborative manner: modelling/doing
Stage 9 Think about how the AMOEBA extends over time: modelling/doing
Stage 10 Unpack and understand the AMOEBA € futures: modelling/doing
Stage 11 Responding to €good€ and €bad€ AMOEBA € policy implications: doing
Stage 12 Making changes to the SI mix in the light of practice: doing/reflecting

5 New Frontiers of Practice

Introduction
New ways of thinking about sustainability indicators
Other dimensions to sustainability indicators: a new synthesis (Kolb learning cycle)
Applying the learning cycle in sustainable development
Summary

6 The End of a Journey?

Appendix 1 Systemic and Prospective Sustainability Analysis (SPSA) in Malta

Notes

References

Index