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6 - A Mixed-Method, Dialogue-Based Approach to Sustainability Assessments: Fostering Learning for Sustainable Development

from Part II - Integrative Approaches for Sustainability Assessment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2020

By
Flurina Schneider
Edited by
Claudia R. Binder ,
Romano Wyss  and
Emanuele Massaro
Claudia R. Binder
Affiliation:
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Romano Wyss
Affiliation:
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Emanuele Massaro
Affiliation:
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
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Summary

Given the persistent challenges of governing natural resources sustainably, there is an urgent need for comprehensive sustainability assessments that enable holistic understanding of current and future development scenarios. To spur necessary action, these assessments must also foster joint learning among multiple stakeholders. In this chapter, we present the ‘Sustainability Wheel’, a mixed-method, dialogue-based approach for assessing the sustainability of resource governance systems. The approach combines the transparent identification of general sustainability principles, the regional contextualisation of these as subprinciples/indicators, and the scoring of the indicators based on deliberative dialogue in interdisciplinary teams, drawing on shared knowledge and understandings. Using the approach to examine sustainable water governance in the Swiss Alps, we demonstrate its effectiveness in integrating multiple perspectives, including those deriving from qualitative and quantitative research, and in facilitating communication with stakeholders. Furthermore, we explore its application to urban systems.

Keywords

sustainability wheelsustainability assessmentdialogue methodsmixed-methodslearningshared understanding
Type
Chapter
Information
Sustainability Assessment of Urban Systems , pp. 141 - 160
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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