Spatial systems approach to sustainable development: A conceptual framework |
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Authors: | Wen-Yuan Niu Jonathan J Lu Abdullah A Khan |
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Institution: | (1) Center for Ecoenvironmental Sciences, Academia Sinica, Beijing, China;(2) Department of Geography, University of Northern Iowa, 50614-0406 Cedar Falls, Iowa, USA |
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Abstract: | Even though “sustainable development” seems to have emerged as the development paradigm of the 1990s, a great deal of vagueness
still surrounds the meaning, definition, and theoretical underpinnings of the concept. There is also a general lack of emphasis
on the spatial dimension of sustainable development when developing relevant conceptual or environmental accounting frameworks.
In clarifying the concept, this article proposes a definition that explicitly incorporates the temporal as well as the spatial
dimension of sustainability. It also develops a logically consistent conceptual framework for the analysis and evaluation
of sustainable development, following a spatial systems approach. Five interconnected aspatial subsystems or subsets of a
spatial system are identified and their respective operational dimensions discussed. A proposed composite index calleddegree of stainable development (DSD) and its five component indicators are also outlined. The difficulties involved in operationalizing the DSD measure
and the conceptual framework are noted, and the various tasks that need to be undertaken in this regard are specified. It
is concluded that future research utilizing the proposed conceptual framework should not only foster the development of appropriate
methodologies for the comparative evaluation of sustainable development at global, national, or regional scales, but also
offer insights to appropriate decision makers at various levels regarding available options and alternative actions for the
healthy development of their respective societies. |
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Keywords: | Development Environment Environmental accounting Resource Spatial System Sustainability Sustainable development |
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