Constructing sustainable urban futures: from models to competing pathways, impact assessment and project appraisal

Guy, S; Marvin, S

Abstract

This paper begins to build a conceptual framework that acknowledges the multiplicity of pathways towards different sustainable futures that often co-exist within a single city. There are three stages to the argument: the shift from the concept of a singular towards multiple models of what the sustainable city might become; the rejection of the simplistic use of models and the development of competing pathways to sustainable cities; and the recognition that a wide diversity of sustainable urban futures are likely to co-exist within a single city. The analytical framework of social constructivist theory developed here usefully demonstrates the contingent and contextual nature of technological innovation and building design.

Citation

Guy, S., & Marvin, S. Constructing sustainable urban futures: from models to competing pathways, impact assessment and project appraisal. Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, 19(2), 131-139. https://doi.org/10.3152/147154601781767113

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Deposit Date: Jul 29, 2011
• Journal: Journal of the International Association for Impact Assessment
• Print ISSN: 1461-5517
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 19
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 131-139
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3152/147154601781767113
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3152/147154601781767113