Social sustainability

Social sustainability

by Bart Verswijvel -
Number of replies: 6

Social sustainability

Social sustainability aims to preserve social capital by investing and creating services that constitute the framework of our society. The concept accommodates a larger view of the world in relation to communities, cultures and globalisation. It means to preserve future generations and to acknowledge that what we do can have an impact on others and on the world. Social sustainability focuses on maintaining and improving social quality with concepts such as cohesion, reciprocity and honesty and the importance of relationships amongst people. 


In reply to Bart Verswijvel

Re: Social sustainability

by Jennifer Carty -
The hotel will bring people from all over the world to the island. Therefore giving locals the chance to express and share their culture with new people. But the people of the island may not like this as they could see themselves a small, close community. Therefore they don't want new people coming to the island and disrupting the peace and happiness that is currently felt from the local community.
In reply to Jennifer Carty

Re: Social sustainability

by Brigitte Kaltenbrunner -
Again this is a task for the mayor and her local politicians to moderate this change in society.
The first thing one should consider is simply the number of tourists coming to the island. Examples from Venice (Italy) or Hallstatt (Austria) show that locals are not against tourism in general - as long as the local community can feel safe to live in their original traditions without feeling like living on a movie set.

Next communication is a an important part. Giving locals ideas how to deal with tourists - not necessarily feeling odd and watched....
...as well as giving tourists an idea of how life on the island works - asking them not to disturb the local society.

Sharing life and place on the island can bring interesting aspects to both - locals and tourists.
In reply to Brigitte Kaltenbrunner

Re: Social sustainability

by Karina Hawle-Kastner -
I would also welcome an exchange. However, I am convinced that it would work better if the tourists didn’t live in the isolation of the resort and only occasionally visit the city.
Any luxury intended for tourists should also be accessible to the local population, such as a swimming pool, a sauna, restaurants, etc. This would create jobs which are not only tourism-linked. "Public luxury" would sustainably improve the quality of life for the locals and ensure a good holiday experience for the tourists.
In reply to Karina Hawle-Kastner

Re: Social sustainability

by Pam OBrien -
Karina, I think this would help to support social sustainability. So many luxury resorts sit completely separate from the region in which they are developed so integration is a key factor in achieving some kind of social sustainability.
In reply to Karina Hawle-Kastner

Re: Social sustainability

by Pamela Cowan -
Everyone on the island should have a say in the decision-making process and agreement reached. I think the locals would be happier if the number of tourists were limited and it might be worthwhile to have some parts of the island off-limits for the tourism to respect the local community or only open certain areas to showcase 'island life' and allow tourists to gain an insight into how islanders can be sustainable over the winter months when they are cut-off from the mainland. It would also be important to get the young adults back onto the island again as they have skills that need to be passed on. So perhaps housing incentives could be introduced. If a hotel is being built why not include on-site accommodation for workers and couples with existing connections to the island.
In reply to Bart Verswijvel

Re: Social sustainability

by Maja Videnovik -
It seems that people from the island are working a lot on their social sustainability. The way that the hotel will be developed, and its scale has influence in positive or negative wat to the social sustainability.