Opportunities to pursue sustainability exist everywhere and anyone can make a tangible contribution

The challenges of sustainability

How is it possible to create a sustainable socio-economic system that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs? How can we create built environments, cities and infrastructures that are in harmony with the natural environment and at the same time generate opportunities for people and a better quality of life? Is it possible to strike the right balance between short-term urgencies and the long-term goals of ensuring a healthy, safe, inclusive, just, resilient and sustainable socio-economic system? Is it enough to pursue sustainability or, rather, would it not be necessary and urgent to also engage in the regeneration (i.e. reconstruction) of what has already been compromised in human communities and natural ecosystems?

A two-dimensional strategy

The built environment, infrastructure and real estate, can contribute significantly to answering these questions and creating the conditions for meeting the challenges of the future if we act on both the "Hardware" and the "Software" of current socio-economic models.

Hardware" defines the built environment, the availability and quality of physical infrastructure, buildings, facilities and technologies. Software" defines the quality of the socio-economic environment, culture, values, traditions, governance, policies, behaviours and habits.

In order to pursue sustainability objectives, co-ordinated and incremental actions are required on both dimensions: the technological or technical (the "Hardware"), and the cultural or behavioural (the "Software"). This approach is complex and requires a holistic view, supported by multidisciplinary resources, in which people are placed at the centre of policies and decisions, balancing and integrating multiple strategies for the benefit of the whole community.

For example, the substitution of fossil fuels by green renewables sources would not be consistent with ESG (Environmental Social Governance) principles if these were used to fuel unsustainable business models, activities or behaviours. A new public transport infrastructure, designed and built according to best practice to ensure the highest standards of sustainability, should be accompanied by effective policies and initiatives to shift people's preferences away from private transport and towards collective transport. Modal rebalancing and an increase in vehicles occupancy rate (currently less than 2 persons on average per car) should be encouraged, while the use of cars for short distances (on an average working or non-working day, individuals cover only 5.6 km in Greece and 7.6 km in Croatia, and 19.0 km in Germany?) should be discouraged, through the enforcement of policies that are closely associated (or prioritized) with vehicles electrification and the creation of the necessary infrastructure.

Software and Hardware are somehow interrelated and finding the right balance between them is a complex task, which requires continuous and long-term leadership, commitment and understanding of local aspects, culture and the right timing of execution.

In some cases, it is possible to act on the Hardware relatively quickly and easily, e.g. building a cycle path, while it can be difficult and time-consuming to create a strong and stable cycling culture. Nevertheless, although it is hard to implement, cultural transformation should be at the heart of and prioritised by sustainability policies as it could bring immediate and far-reaching benefits. Think, for example, of the environmental benefits that could be achieved in real time if people were to adopt, with relentless discipline, real habits of energy saving and responsible use of natural resources.

The sustainable socio-economic system is the ideal, perhaps utopian, model to strive for, resulting from the integrated and balanced transition of cultural and technological factors over time. For example, an ideal urban area is vibrant, authentic, inclusive, safe, healthy, resilient, sustainable and rich in opportunities. Its tangible attributes are a mix of quality architecture and functions, efficient and accessible infrastructure and public services, spaces for socialising, arts and culture, and a natural landscape harmoniously integrated into the built environment.

In our socio-economic systems, Hardware and Software are clearly interdependent. In fact, the quality (and accessibility) of infrastructures positively or negatively influences people's culture and behaviour. For example, if a community is not provided with an affordable, efficient and safe infrastructure system for "soft mobility", how can it be expected to realise a transformation of habits in favour of this mode of transport? On the other hand, the implementation of a state-of-the-art waste management technology and system would be ineffective if not accompanied by cultural transformation initiatives aimed at guiding the behaviour of individuals. Cultural transformation in terms of values, habits, behaviours, such as inclusivity and collaboration, can foster innovation, progressive technological transformation and thus the achievement of sustainability goals. Similarly, the creation of quality infrastructures and buildings, social gathering places and smart innovative technologies can foster cultural transformation, the creation of social capital and the regeneration of distressed communities.

Sustainable development as an opportunity

Successful sustainability strategies must therefore allocate resources along both dimensions - technological transformation and cultural transformation. Achieving and maintaining the right balance between the two can be very complex and requires long-term vision, continuous commitment, strong leadership, the right timing and the ability to fully understand the major changes taking place globally, but also local culture and traditions.

By adopting ESG principles and committing to the achievement of the macro sustainability goals - the "SDGs" defined by the United Nations - it is possible to create shared environmental, social and economic value but also to generate benefits at an individual level for each stakeholder.

Embracing sustainability principles in a concrete way demands the development of new skills, collaboration, innovation and investment, and brings advantages in terms of visibility, reputation, access to new markets, attraction of talent and access to capital and finance.

Opportunities to pursue sustainability exist everywhere, in daily life, in business and in political strategies, and every person, organisation and institution, public and private, can make a tangible contribution. The necessary technological and cultural transitions can be facilitated by creating a sense of urgency, as well as awareness of the value of individual contributions and the shared and individual opportunities that can be generated.