The question of what comprises sustainable development is, essentially, a moral one: what should constitute the web of interactions between ourselves, and between ourselves and the non-human world. But questions this large invite fragmentation into even smaller, manageable parts and in turn a predilection for specialisation. Such reductionism is now recognised as an important factor in our current lack of success in ‘living more sustainably’. Thus, this research takes the alternate approach: a look at sustainable development from the perspective of the whole. The research reveals that even the complexity of sustainable development can be described, via patterns, in manageable ‘chunks’ that can both retain the nature of the whole and advise of the necessary changes individuals need to adopt to close the gap between concern and action. Opportunities for further research include the extended use of patterns by practitioners from any field seeking to maintain the whole; and an exploration of the (currently hidden) attribute of time as a key determinate of action related to sustainable development / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2006. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xvi, 432 p. : ill. (some col.)., map. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 316-332).

Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 73-74) Also available in print.

<p>Despite some gains in economic reforms and international commitments, Ethiopia still maintains the position of one of the poorest countries in the world in the 21st century with very little power to influence the allocation of reources in the world market. The development problems in many of the sub-saharan regions are confined within the countyry including the difficulty to keep up with rapid increase in the number of primary school enrollments, which has led to a situation of compromised quality / high child mortality and HIV/AIDS, which poses additional challenges to the poor health facilities, gender and regional inequalities and sustainable debt burden. Making matters worse, Ethiopia's political instability, civil war, recurring of drought, and economic mismanagement ties the country to a severe poverty cycle.. Ethiopia has made important economic, social and political reforms with the support of the World bank and other multilateral institutions, to pave the way for the country to face the challenges posed by globalization. However, these reforms have not been sustained by effective implementation. The response to overcome the problemshas also been slow to see rapid growth. In this research paper, the writer explores the challenges regarding Ethiopia's poverty from perspective of the World Bank. The research examines the theoretical and conceptual underpinning of the World Bank's general mandate and objectives on poverty reduction, using Ethiopia as acase study.</p>

This practicum explores the concept of sustainable retail development and seeks out innovative approaches that can be employed by retailers, retail developers and urban planners to create more sustainable retail environments in Canadian cities. This is achieved in part through a case study of how a notable Canadian retailer, Mountain Equipment Co-op, addresses the negative social, environmental and economic implications of predominant retail development practices. Although the concept of ‘sustainable retailing’ encompasses an extremely broad number of considerations which may include product sourcing, transportation and manufacturing standards, materials recycling, building construction and customer and employee satisfaction; this practicum focuses on the issues of ‘sustainable retail development’ from an urban planning perspective. These considerations include the economic, environmental and social impacts of site location and development decisions of retailers. The intention of this practicum is to promote change both locally and globally through the encouragement of more sustainable retail development initiatives at the district, block, site and community scales. / October 2008

The goals of this project were first to investigate farming methods that provided a good standard of living, reasonable financial returns, and a healthy environment and community. The second goal was to identify the organizational barriers to adoption of a sustainable agricultural system. I sought this knowledge in the role of an activist and as a farmer interested in making a quality life. Throughout this research, I spoke with many people who grow food and steward the land for a variety of reasons. I discovered that most people are interested in farming as a lifestyle with a wealth of personal benefits, even if they are not the most financially feasible operations. Farmers displayed a real interest in caring for the land that supports them, and for the quality of their communities. This thesis concludes with a variety of recommendations for both producers as well as the governments who represent them. / May 2009

We are now facing the challenge of sustainable development. This thesis focuses on the building illumination of one downtown hospitality building, the Renaissance Vancouver Hotel (RVH), to demonstrate three options for sustainable development of architectural lighting. The thesis employs architectural exterior lighting based on the technology of light emitting diodes (LEDs) as a vehicle to demonstrate how to reduce the energy consumption and maintenance costs of decorative lighting on building façades via three transformative lighting strategies. These three transformative lighting strategies demonstrate three possibilities of applying LEDs to develop architectural creativity and energy sustainability for an outdoor decorative lighting system. The first transformation utilizes LEDs for the retrofit of existing compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) on the RVH’s façades and rooftop, in order to improve and diversify the building’s illumination in a sustainable manner. The second transformation optimizes the yearly programming of the new outdoor decorative LED lighting in accordance with differing seasonal and temporal themes in order to save energy, demonstrate architectural creativity via versatile lighting patterns, and systematically manage the unstable generation of renewable energy. The third transformation explores the potential of on-site electricity generation in an urban context instead of its purchase from BC Hydro. Photovoltaic (PV) panels will generate the electrical requirements of the RVH’s decorative exterior LED lighting. This transformation will transfer daytime solar energy to electricity for night outdoor building illumination; consequently, it can encourage outdoor activities in the nighttime for Vancouverites, and is a means of compensating for the limited daytime hours in Vancouver’s winter months.

This thesis considers the potential of engaging the development community as a primary means of solving the environmental crisis. Specifically, it addresses how the principles of sustainable design can be incorporated into communities and buildings while taking into account the economic realities implicit with every successful project. Using case study examples of recent projects where environmental stewardship was a primary consideration, the thesis examines the relationship between sustainable design strategies and their influence on both capital costs and the perceived value of the completed project. It is proposed that a comprehensive understanding of the economic impact of sustainable design is essential for architects to make informed decisions, given a client’s environmental and fiscal expectations. In addition, it is the responsibility of building design professionals to encourage a more sustainable society, and design buildings that will be of net positive impact to the environment.

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This thesis considers the potential of engaging the development community as a primary means of solving the environmental crisis. Specifically, it addresses how the principles of sustainable design can be incorporated into communities and buildings while taking into account the economic realities implicit with every successful project. Using case study examples of recent projects where environmental stewardship was a primary consideration, the thesis examines the relationship between sustainable design strategies and their influence on both capital costs and the perceived value of the completed project. It is proposed that a comprehensive understanding of the economic impact of sustainable design is essential for architects to make informed decisions, given a client’s environmental and fiscal expectations. In addition, it is the responsibility of building design professionals to encourage a more sustainable society, and design buildings that will be of net positive impact to the environment.