Lenore Newman

Sustainable development, education and literacy

Purpose – To distinguish sustainable development education from environmental education and stress the importance of problem‐based interdisciplinary learning to sustainable development education.Design/methodology/approach – A range of published works relating to sustainable development education are critiqued, an introduction to complexity theory is given and related to sustainable development education, and a case study is provided to demonstrate an example of incorporating sustainability into course delivery and to demonstrate problem‐based interdisciplinary learning.Findings – Our discussion supports our claim that reconciling sustainability and development requires a complex interdisciplinary approach beyond that found in some areas of traditional environmental education.Research limitations/implications – Our literature search is not exhaustive and focuses on sustainable development education. A much greater body of literature relating to environmental education exists.Practical implications – Our d...

Sustainable development for some: green urban development and affordability

Many brownfield development projects and many redevelopment projects aimed at improving older urban spaces list sustainable development as a stated goal. It is a key question, however, whether the benefits of these redevelopment projects are equitably shared with the original members of the community, and in the case of brownfields with residents of adjacent neighbours, or are there differential benefits that accrue to new higher-income residents at the expense of current residents and retailers, and at the expense of existing community diversity? A case study of a brownfield development in Victoria, Canada, confirms concerns in the literature about income diversity in brownfield developments; a second case study of a Toronto neighbourhood suggests that there is no guarantee that local sustainable development projects within existing neighbourhoods will encourage or even maintain existing social diversity and equity. A similar trend is demonstrated in a series of infill projects that had profound ramifications on adjacent communities and indeed contributed to greater unsustainability in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, British Columbia. It is concluded that the relationship between sustainable development and gentrification is more complex than has been previously suggested.

Uncertainty, innovation, and dynamic sustainable development

Abstract Sustainable development is a rich concept that has helped shape the discussion of human society’s interaction with the biosphere. However, the term “sustainable development” is contentious, and some dismiss it outright as an oxymoron. The seemingly contradictory “sustainable” and “development” can be reconciled by accepting that due to two factors, the inherent complexity and uncertainty of human and natural systems, and the ability of human society to innovate, sustainable development must be dynamic. It must be an ongoing process, not a goal. A sustainable society must constantly evaluate its relationship with nature as it adopts new innovations and encounters unexpected events. The role of feedback and suitable application of the precautionary principle are key elements of a dynamic sustainable development process. The example of nuclear waste management in Canada demonstrates the beginning of such a process.

Does Place Matter? Sustainable Community Development in Three Canadian Communities

The creation of a sense of place has emerged as a goal of many community development initiatives. However, little thought has been given to the role of physical spaces in the shaping of possible senses of place. This article examines three Canadian examples of community sustainable development initiatives to demonstrate that sense of place can be shaped and constrained by the geographical and environmental features of the physical space a community occupies. This finding suggests that a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to community sustainable development is unlikely to be successful; a communitys sustainable development ethic will be informed by geography. However, there is some evidence that a strong individual sense of place shaped by local space may act as a barrier to the acceptance of new people and ideas. Conversely, a strong sense of place can result in mobilization for sustainable development initiatives.

Facilitating transdisciplinary sustainable development research teams through online collaboration

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the potential of online communication technologies to facilitate university‐led transdisciplinary sustainable development research and lower the ecological footprints of such research projects. A series of case studies is to be explored.Design/methodology/approach – A one year project is conducted in which a series of research tasks are carried out on an online communications platform. Findings are compared to other examples from the literature.Findings – Online communication technology can be used to facilitate transdisciplinary research tasks, saving time, money and with less environmental impact than that of face‐to‐face meetings. However, in order for online collaboration to be successful the researchers must be very organized and have strong facilitation skills.Research limitations/implications – The research takes place in a North American setting. Time zone issues and access to sufficient internet technology can be a barrier in global research colla...

Sustainable urban community development from the grassroots: Challenges and opportunities in a pedestrian street initiative

Abstract A local sustainable development initiative to establish a temporary pedestrian zone within a Canadian urban community served as a research study into the efficacy of social capital in the development of a network for community action. This community-based initiative used social capital to overcome campaign obstacles and the campaign itself generated new social capital within the neighbourhood through the creation of adaptive networks of participants. The campaign succeeded in creating a part-time pedestrian-only space that serves as an educational example of change for sustainable community development that is replicable in other communities, and provides an example of alternative occupation of community space. Contrary to other literature, little evidence of “core burnout” was found although the network does continue to expend a large amount of effort and time on fundraising. While social capital is a powerful tool for local grassroots action, the availability of a critical source of economic capital may prove vital to the long-term success and sustainability of the network.

Celebrating the mundane: Nature and the built environment

The dualism of nature/culture widely present within Western society at large is out of step with an increasingly urbanizing world. Building on previous discussions of nature/culture duality, an integrative framework is presented that argues for the embracing of the “mundane nature” found within human landscapes. As over half of the human population interacts with nature primarily within urban landscapes, increasing our awareness of such spaces is critical to understanding our ecological consciousness. The examples of a recent rooftop greening bylaw in the city of Toronto and the social impacts of urban gardening are examined in this context.

Large footprints in a small world: toward a macroeconomics of scale

Abstract The question of scale has been of ongoing interest in the sustainable development discourse, particularly with regard to the size, geographical extent, and complexity of human systems. However, this consideration has not sufficiently informed the practical implementation of sustainable technologies and there remain echoes of historical debates over “small is beautiful” versus “bigger is better” that dominated environmentalism during the 1970s. The complex adaptive nature of social and ecological systems suggests that trying artificially to choose a scale for systems is the wrong approach. A properly managed system should self-organize to a scale that optimizes economic prosperity while respecting ecological limits. For this outcome to occur, however, we argue along the lines of Herman Daly for the effective use of macroeconomic tools. Though the specific form of these tools remains undefined, we draw on complex systems theory to suggest four possible properties based on the concepts of resilience and transformability. These properties are then applied to the food system to demonstrate the self-organization of scale.

An Online Synchronous e-Dialogue Series on Nuclear Waste Management in Canada

Online dialogues can meaningfully engage a diverse audience and provide a method to both educate and interest the public in complex environmental and social issues. This article discusses a series of e-dialogues conducted for the Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Canada in which the public engaged in discussions concerning the risk and uncertainty around the management of nuclear waste, disposal options, and decision-making under uncertain conditions. Although these dialogues were very successful and raised new issues of public concern, we encountered some difficulties as well. We discuss these difficulties and potential remedies for others contemplating the use of online dialogues.