what could be a "social saustainability"?

Question

I'm designing an urban space in Sao Paulo, brazil. the main focus of design is sustainability. I want to know what characteristics make a design a sustainable design for "society" other than the technological views.

Answer 1

I'm not exactly sure what you're asking...social sustainability as in our interaction with others?

Maybe natural meeting spaces, like gardens, parks and recreation centers that a whole community could use, instead of each person having their own private one?

Answer 2

Historically, urban designs have worked well when there is a high degree of flexibility. Here's what I mean:

Urban design isn't knew; "planned spaces" have been around a long time--and the history of such spaces (whether business districts, neighborhoods, or combinations of di fferent functions) is your best guid as to what is and is not sustainable. So check out the actual history of such in your city.

But here's the main thing to keep in mind: any space, no matter how well-designed, will be a space in which people live, work--and change as technology and social structures and needs change. The designs that work best are generally ones that allow the space to "evolve" to meet new needs as time passes. In the US, for example, many of the post-WW2 suburban spaces (neighborhoods and shopping malls, etc, were laid out with little thought as to how the area might change in the future. Now, in many areas, they are finding that they've inadvertantly created problems with utilities (especiallly sewage), congested traffic, and a lack of "green space" and public spaces. I, on the other hand, live in a close-in neighborhood that is much more compact, dates from before World War 2--but was designed and laid out as a "people space"--and has remained a viable community and living space for 80 years in the middle of one of the fastest growing urban areas in the US (Atlanta). And it has none of those problems. The key is a people-orient space that allows for change--because people won't be static.