Strengthening the 'Social' in Sustainable Development: Developing a Conceptual Framework for Social Sustainability in a Rapid Urban Growth Region in Australia

The South East Queensland region in Australia is experiencing rapid urban growth. In response to this growth, regional level planning and reporting frameworks have been developed relating to both hard infrastructure and natural resource management. However, there has been no formal acknowledgement of a similar need for regional responses as regards the social dimensions of sustainable development. This paper describes a two year action research process, involving diverse public, private and community stakeholders, that focused on developing a social sustainability framework in response to this issue. Key components of the framework are discussed, including social capital, social infrastructure, social justice and equity, and engaged governance. Broad implications for policy and practice are discussed. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.