Handbook of Sustainability and Social Science Research

In this handbook social science researchers who focus on sustainability present and discuss their findings, including empirical work, case studies, teaching and learning innovations, and applied projects. As such, the book offers a basis for the dissemination of information, ideas and experiences acquired in the execution of research projects, especially initiatives which have influenced behavior, decision-making, or policy. Furthermore, it introduces methodological approaches and projects which aim to offer a better understanding of sustainability across society and economic sectors.

This multidisciplinary overview presents the work of researchers from across the spectrum of the social sciences. It stimulates innovative thinking on how social sciences influence sustainable development and vice-versa.

Professor Walter Leal Filho (BSc, PhD, DSC, DPhil, DL, DEd, DLit) is a professor at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences in Germany, and at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. He is the founding director of the World Sustainable Development Research and Transfer Centre, a recently created centre aimed at supporting the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. He has nearly 30 years experience on matters related to sustainable development, and has in excess of 300 publications to his credit.

Robert W. Marans, Ph.D. is Research Professor at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research and Professor Emeritus of Architecture and Urban Planning in the university’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. Throughout his career, he has conducted evaluative studies and research dealing with various aspects of communities, neighborhoods, housing, and parks and recreational facilities. His research has focused on user requirements and the manner in which attributes of the physical and sociocultural environments influence individual and group behavior and the quality of community life. Dr. Marans is the author or co-author of 7 books and more than 100 articles and technical reports. His most recent book, Investigating Quality of Urban Life: Theory, Methods, and Empirical Research was published by Springer (2011). His current work deals with cultural issues of sustainability and energy conservation in institutional settings including universities and the impact of the built and natural environments on quality of life.

John Callewaert, Ph.D. is the Emerging Opportunities Program Director at the Graham Sustainability Institute and a Lecturer in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at the University of Michigan. As Program Director, John is responsible for designing, implementing, and overseeing a wide range of activities which support translational knowledge efforts involving subjectmatter experts, decision-makers, and key stakeholders. Dr. Callewaert came to the Graham Institute in 2009 after serving for two years as the Director of the University of Michigan-Flint Office of Research. From 2000-2007, Callewaert was the founding director of the Institute for Community and Environment at Colby-Sawyer College and an Associate Professor of Social Sciences and Education. Dr. Callewaert serves as an associate editor for the Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences and as an advisory board member for The Integrated Assessment Society and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.