Social sustainability health check: A model for evaluating and optimising social value creation in construction projects

Since the Brundtland report (1987) the term sustainable development appears in almost every governmental report. The concept has even been widely integrated in the business markets for commercialisation purposes. Yet the social sustainability dimension is still finding its way to be fully recognised and operationalised as equal as environmental and economic dimensions. In the field of construction management, this dimension is clearly lagging behind due to the nature of the construction industry. Despite of the poor social sustainability performance of construction industry, it has great capabilities to be enhanced to contribute to the overall sustainable development. Therefore, some initiatives aim to fill this gap such as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). However, they are not fully compatible with the nature of construction project as it is realised through temporary multi-organisation and has widely differing stakeholders. Hence, the output of this research aims to allow the realisation of the social sustainability performance of construction within project context. To achieve that, Social Sustainability Health Check (SSHC) tool was developed utilising a stakeholder approach which allows the realisation of intangible social values. Thus, descriptive study was conducted to identify the construction stakeholders and their social sustainability interests in relation to construction projects. A total of 400 questionnaire surveys targeting three stakeholders communities namely, industry, users, and neighbourhood, were disseminated. Using descriptive analysis and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), the underlying factors of construction project that contribute to the social sustainability of the stakeholders were defined. These were aligned to synthesise seven social core functions (SCFs) namely, economic performance, health and physical comfort, accessibility, integration, usability, psychological comfort, and occupational health and safety. The SCFs and the stakeholders' communities were mapped in a network system using Social Network Analysis (SNA) to allow the integration of the differing interests of construction stakeholders. The linkages between the SCFs and the stakeholders represent their social expectations and interests in the project. The assessment of the SCFs performances were operationalised through developing checklists. Hence, the SSHC model was operationalised by developing mathematical model, employing SNA, and checklists which allow the systematic quantification of the social sustainability contributions. Using an explanatory case study method, the applicability and usability of the SSHC model were validated. The model was applied into two regeneration construction projects in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia that have the aim to deliver social sustainability values to stakeholders. The results of the case studies investigation showed the model capabilities to recognise and respond to the different project performances, stakeholders' interests, and construction projects. The application of the model also provided the opportunity to identify any problems and to enhance the overall performance of the projects in the social context. The study has provided fundamental contributions to the body of knowledge and to the implication of the social sustainability in the construction industry. The study has shed light on the social sustainability dimension investigating what constitute this important dimension of sustainable development. Underlying factors and associated attributes were empirically and statistically validated. Furthermore, the study has provided a framework for social sustainability assessment in construction projects. The results of the study should pave the way for further investigations, augmentation and research development on the issues of social sustainability.