Exploring opportunities for sustainable housing : The case of East Africa

• This paper contributes to the development of a problem structuring method for exploring sustainability opportunities in systems. It presents a case of designing the plane while flying it, using an action research methodology to develop the Sustainability Opportunity Study over a period of 2 years. The problem structuring method was applied and developed in the context of a research and development network for improving sustainability of housing in East Africa through alternative binders in block-based building. The resulting method consists of the three main stages Diagnosing, Analysing, Solving, where activities are informed by critical systems thinking and insights derived from experience and reflections from the case. The method uses different types of workshops to derive specific project proposals for further implementation and realisation of the identified sustainability opportunities. Results also suggest four types of evaluation of the Sustainability Opportunity Study based on the main focus of the intervention: Focus on effectiveness (number of relevant project proposals), focus on creating shared understanding (perceived learning among participants), focus on ensuring fairness (level of engagement among marginalized stakeholders), or focus on commitment to Critical Systems Thinking (breadth and depth in Diagnosing, Analysing and Solving).

Subject headings

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Samhällsbyggnadsteknik -- Annan samhällsbyggnadsteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Civil Engineering -- Other Civil Engineering (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Sustainability opportunities

problem structuring method

critical systems thinking

sustainable housing

workshop

sustainability opportunity study

Engineering Science with specialization in Civil Engineering and Built Environment

Teknisk fysik med inriktning mot byggteknik och byggd miljö

Engineering Science with specialization in industrial engineering and management

Teknisk fysik med inriktning mot industriell teknik

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

ovr (subject category)