Towards Management Systems and Protocols - Evaluating Sustainable Development in the Built Environment - page 178

Table 8.1 The changing nature of the human world.

Past generations Current generations

Human settlements were bounded
largely by people's ability to travel
and the natural resources available.

Human settlements are engaged across
the planet and wealth is the constraint
not technology.

Technological development was to
enhance human labour and its impact
was limited to the individual or to
small communities.

Technological development has moved
to the wider community and global
level and its impact is beyond national
boundaries.

Management control was in the
hands of the few.

Management control is exercised by a
plethora of agencies.

Financial power was localised and
within the control of the local
community.

Financial power exists within a vast
number of institutions, many of which
are multi-national and global.

Regulation was exercised locally
within the cultural context of the
community.

Regulation is now exercised nationally
and internationally and it reflects the
demands of those with power at this
level.

have solved the problem of managing development in such a way that
it is sustainable. This is not surprising since the concept of sustainabil-
ity has not been adopted until comparatively recently. Many philoso-
phers and writers have made statements over the centuries which
demonstrate that wise men have understood the problem, but it was
only in the latter part of the twentieth century that this became a major
agenda item for the world. Good husbandry for the locality has become
good stewardship for the world.
In some ways this gives us the clue for advancement because there are
links between the two. The global agenda depends on a multitude of deci-
sions at the local level. The disposal of refrigerators, the choice of energy
for housing, the method of manufacturing building products and the
planning framework for a local authority are all examples of the billions of
small decisions that contribute to sustainable development. Thus the
maxim think global , act local has become a motto for many within the field.
It is not difficult to see that although this may be a useful call to
improve the situation, it is extremely difficult to implement in practice.
A decision in one area has an impact in another which may lead to an
unsustainable development. Examples abound. The method of insulat-
ing a building may save energy at the local level but the extraction
process for the raw materials may require more energy than it saves
and may deplete the earth of a valuable resource or at least increase its
cost in a market situation. The regeneration of one urban area may lead