Du Plessis, C (2001) Sustainability and sustainable construction: The African context. Building Research & Information, 29(5), pp. 374-380. ISSN 0961-3218
Abstract
The scope of Africa's developmental problems and a dramatically different worldview from that of the West requires a different approach to sustainability in Africa. The context of poverty and rapid urbanization suggests that sustainable urban development should be the focus of sustainable construction in Africa. However, it is argued this should be undertaken in a way that is relevant to the African cultural context, possibly through the inclusion of the values and worldview of traditional Africa in the definition and principles of sustainability. Using the understanding of interconnectedness as expressed by the cultural concept of Ubuntu, some principles are suggested for an African concept of sustainability that can inform the Western sustainability model and make it relevant to Africa.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Africa; culture; participation; social responsibility; sustainability; sustainable development; urban planning |
| Index terms: | urban planning, Africa, sustainable construction, urbanization, sustainable development, poverty, social responsibility, sustainable urban development |
| Subjects: | regions and continents, sociology, health safety and environment, sustainability and resilience, sustainable construction, urban planning |
| Topics: | Ethics, Sustainability, Urban Studies, Governance, Health and Safety, Geographical Context |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here