The five dimensions of sustainability

TLDR

Sustainability is a guide for economic and social policymaking in equilibrium with ecological conditions, yet its concrete meaning and suitability for specific cases remain disputed since the WCED definition. The authors propose a new conceptual framework that views sustainability as a platform for discussing territorial, temporal, and personal aspects of development to address its limitations. The framework defines five dimensions—Place (space), Permanence (time), and Persons (human)—to structure discussions of territorial, temporal, and personal aspects of development. The five‑dimensional framework—Place, Permanence, and Persons—provides a more inclusive, plural, and policy‑useful understanding of sustainability.

Abstract

Sustainability is usually seen as a guide for economic and social policymaking in equilibrium with ecological conditions. More than two decades after the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) defined ‘sustainable development’ and put the concept of sustainability on the global agenda, the concrete meaning of these terms and their suitability for specific cases remains disputed. A new conceptual framework to address sustainability issues is needed. The limitations of the WCED definition could be mitigated if sustainability is seen as the conceptual framework within which the territorial, temporal, and personal aspects of development can be openly discussed. Sustainability could be better understood in terms of ‘Place’, ‘Permanence’, and ‘Persons’. Place contains the three dimensions of space, Permanence is the fourth dimension of time, and the Persons category represents a fifth, human dimension. The five-dimensional sustainability framework is arguably more inclusive, plural, and useful to outline specific policies towards sustainability.