Several sustainable development indicators have been used to monitor and measure the progress of various countries. Similarly, reports and data available about countries progress prove that development has not been equal in all regions.  On the brighter side, the data can be used to inform decision making in areas that are experiencing deficiencies. In this research, a decision support system(DSS) is built to help governments and NGOs to properly choose projects that align with the needs of the people. We approached this research by utilizing Abraham Maslow’s proven psychological framework on the hierarchy of needs as the main criteria for choosing projects for sustainable development. The system ranks development projects based on the needs priority and how much it has been fulfilled. It ranks projects that meet an urgent need that is also lacking fulfillment higher than other project alternatives. The social progress index (SPI), a comprehensive open data that measures the social progress of counties were correlated to the needs indicated by Maslow’s Hierarchy. The needs were then used as criteria in the AHP decision analysis model to build a classic DSS to aid in selecting the most appropriate development project.

Background:Social sustainability has had a major impact in recent decade on. Previous studies have primarily focused on the ecological and economic aspects, while social sustainability has not received as much attention. Previous research highlights that social sustainability is not as far developed and lacks strategies for how social sustainability efforts should be implemented in SME.                   Purpose: The aim of the study is to obtain a greater understanding of how SMEs in Sweden work with social sustainability today and to contribute to the development of social sustainability by proposing specific factors to SMEs that are central to the work around social sustainability.  Method: The study is a multiple case study and assumes a descriptive quantitative study in combination with a qualitative study. The study has called for a abductive approach. Based on interviews and questionnaires, the study has gathered what constitutes the empirical data for this study.  The data has then been analyzed through the theory to answer the study's research question.                      Conclusions: Today, SME works with social sustainability, but more on a general level. The work primarily takes place through activities such as social responsibility, good working conditions and gender equality. Although the work takes place more on a general level, the study showed that SMEs understand the importance of working with social sustainability, but what prevents SMEs from working more effectively with social sustainability is mainly resources. These resources are used as a basis for developing the work around social sustainability at SME. Furthermore, it is indicated that SMEs need guidelines and the right skills for the CSR work to be developed and adapted to SME needs and resources. / Bakgrund: Social hållbarhet har haft stor inverkan det senaste decennierna på företag och samhället i helhet. Inom området har tidigare studier primärt fokuserat på de ekologiska och ekonomiska aspekterna samtidigt som social hållbarhet inte fått lika stort fokus. Tidigare forskning belyser att social hållbarhet inte är lika långt utvecklad och saknar strategier för hur sociala hållbarhetsarbeten ska implementeras i SME.  Syfte:  Studiens syfte är att erhålla ökad förståelse för hur SME i Sverige arbetar med social hållbarhet idag samt bidra till utvecklingen av social hållbarhet genom att föreslå specifika faktorer till SME som är centrala i arbetet kring social hållbarhet. Metod: Studien är en deskriptiv kvalitativ flerfallstudie men kombinerats men en kvalitativ studie. Studien har anmanat en abduktiv ansats. Utifrån intervjuer och enkäter har studien samlat ihop det som utgör empirin för denna studie. Empirin har sedan analyserats med hjälp av teorin för att kunna besvara studiens forskningsfråga.  Slutsats: SME arbetar idag med social hållbarhet men mer på en generell nivå. Primärt sker arbetet genom aktiviteter som bland annat socialt ansvar, goda arbetsförhållanden och jämställdhet. Trots att arbetet sker mer på en generell nivå visade studien att SME förstår vikten av att arbeta med social hållbarhet men det som hindrar SME att arbeta mer effektivt med social hållbarhet är främst resurser. Dessa resurser används som underlag för att utveckla arbetet kring social hållbarhet i SME. Vidare indikeras att SME behöver riktlinjer och rätt kompetens för att CSR-arbetet skall utvecklas och anpassade efter SME behov och resurser.

This case study examines the manifestations and role of exclusionary architecture in Kungsträdgården park and its relation to marginalised groups and undesirable behaviours. Utilising the methods of non-participatory observations in Kungsträdgården and a qualitative content analysis of documents relevant to the thesis aims, the thesis has answered its two research questions. The thesis show that exclusionary architecture is a complex phenomenon in which groups in a space can be simultaneously included and excluded based on the local context of social relations, materialities and actors. The analysis of exclusionary architecture in Kungsträdgården reveal how actors have different rationales and methods and that not all exclusionary architecture is intentionally targeting marginalised groups. In conclusion, the thesis proposes viewing inclusion and exclusion in a continuum rather than as dichotomous and proposes more research in order to further the knowledge available for decision-makers in creating more inclusive cities.

This report mainly introduces how I, as a designer, use the meta-design theoretical framework and design methods to explore my board game design. Introduction “The most important challenge today and in the future concerns sustainability – to create a world that is good for both people and the environment, locally and globally”. -Linnaeus University I am a design student from China studying in Sweden. It is a challenge for me to go abroad and come to a new country and city to study and live, but also an interesting change. This thesis was inspired by some of my experiences in Sweden. As a newcomer to another country. I have no particular knowledge of Swedish. Although I did some research before coming to Sweden, all I know is that Sweden is a neutral country. It is a country that likes to maintain social distance. It is a country that pays great attention to environmental protection and sustainable development. It is a country with a very lovely language. But just knowing these things cannot help me to study and live in Sweden well. I realized I needed some help from the locals. So here came my first question. How can I get in touch with the locals? For me as a student, the best connection resources are already in front of me. That is my classmates. But as a new student who just arrived in the class, I did not have enough courage to take the initiative to ask the local students about how to live in Sweden. However, I was lucky. Most of my classmates are very enthusiastic. From the conversations with them, I can feel their curiosity about me. Maybe it was because we are about to spend three years studying together, or maybe it was out of kindness to others. Compared with my luck, other friends around me who also came to Sweden to study felt a little bit lost. They found it difficult to integrate with local students. They did not know how to open the topic, and they did not know how to find a common language. They found that local students were more likely to hang out with friends from their own country. During the two years I spent in Sweden, I felt the warmth of the local people. Of course, there are also many cultural differences. I also heard from many friends around me that they think it is difficult to really integrate into Sweden. They could feel a sense of social powerlessness. So, I started thinking, as a design student, what design changes can I make for this? Is it possible to use design to make an experimental intervention game? For example, integrating the simple board games we used to play as children, and redesigning and integrating them into an activity that can be made and played together in a social place. Of course at the same time, I also discovered some small games that Swedish students like to play at parties. Like an icebreaker, everyone is happily participating. But the materials these games require are not particularly environmentally friendly. For example, disposable plastic cups, plastic ping pong balls. Especially during the epidemic, every time a party was held, some students were infected with the virus. So, I was thinking, what kind of games do not require close physical proximity, are interactive and are environmentally friendly and can be used sustainably? With this question, I started my game design journey.

Detta examensarbete behandlar hur barn i en postmodern förskola samspelar och använder sig av olika material för att etablera en social hållbarhet. Vi börjar med att förklara begreppet hållbar utveckling, samt hur den ekologiska, ekonomiska och sociala aspekten av hållbar utveckling hör ihop. Två olika teoretiska perspektiv präglar denna studie. Det första är paraplyperspektivet postmodernism och dess syn på meningsskapande, intra-aktion och icke-linjära lärandeprocesser, där en mångfald av material främjar en hundraspråklighet, ett begrepp som frekvent används inom Reggio Emilia-pedagogiken. Det andra valda perspektivet är det sociokulturella, där vi tagit avstamp i synen på dialog, samspel och lärande i grupp. De båda perspektiven har stora skillnader i sitt sätt att se på lärandet, men också många likheter vilka vi anser hjälpa oss att besvara våra forskningsfrågor på ett adekvat sätt, något vi också redogör för. Vår datainsamling skedde med hjälp av fokusgruppsdiskussioner/samtal där vi tillsammans med två olika barngrupper använde kreativa verktyg för att skapa en "tillsammans-/kompisteckning". De båda aktiviteterna videoinspelades. Resultatet visar att barnen använde sig av ett demokratiskt förhållningsätt i sin gemenskap rörande delaktighet, öppenhet och respekt till och om andras tankar, vilket speglar en god grund för en social hållbarhet i förskolans verksamhet. / The aim of this study is to portrait how children in a Swedish, post-modern preschool interplay with each other, and how they use the diversity of materials to communicate as a way of establishing asocial sustainability. Initially, we start with explaining the word “sustainability” and how the different dimensions of sustainable development come together. Our theoretical standpoint is as described, heavily influenced by the postmodern perspective and Reggio Emilia’s preschool practice featuring democracy, diversity, and expressions through a hundred languages. We also take a stand in the sociocultural perspective and its views on communication and actions between humans. We are aware of the imparities between the two theories but chose to combine their individual views on communication and/via material as a bridge upon which we placed this study. The method used for this study is a group dialogue whilst us and the participants, children at the age of 2 to 5, created a “friendship painting”. The material used for the activity was chosen by the participants to encourage their individual ways of expressions. This also helped us to find the agent of the material in the learning situations. The results show that the participants have a democratic approach to each other and to us as students in these activities. The participating children showed a sustainable approach to the social aspect of development through compassion, justice, dialogue, and flexibility to each other and to new people that shows an interest in their community.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur chefer leder och motiverar sina medarbetare när de arbetar på distans. Undersökningen består av sex kvalitativa intervjuer med utvalda chefer där samtliga har gemensamt att deras medarbetare arbetar i olika grad på distans. Analysen grundar sig i att finna samband, likheter och skillnader mellan de olika respondenternas svar för att se hur de anpassar sitt arbetssätt utefter dessa förutsättningar. Begrepp som diskuteras för att bidra med kunskap är motivation utifrån Maslows behovshieraki samt Herzbergs tvåfaktorsteori, ledarskapsstilar som tillitsbaserat, transformativt och auktoritärt ledarskap. Även distansarbete som begrepp och hur detta kan påverka motivation och ledarskap samt den hållbarhet i form av social hållbarhet som organisationer behöver ha i åtanke för de hållbarhetsmål som FN tagit fram. Resultatet av undersökningen visar att chefens arbete med att motivera sina medarbetare inte behöver skilja sig från när medarbetarna arbetade fysiskt på arbetsplatsen. Det som utmärker sig är att kommunikationen är viktigare och behöver ta en större del av chefers arbete i anspråk. De chefer som inkluderas i studien visar likheter i deras sätt att leda i undersökningen och har därför många likande tankar i hur de arbetar med sitt ledarskap för att motivera sina medarbetare. Gemensamma nämnare var önskan om att inte detaljstyra, vikten av kommunikation och att ledarskap kan påverka medarbetarens motivation. Författaren tillägger slutligen att det krävs mer resurser till kommunikation vid distansarbete och mer resurser för medarbetarnas välmående för att uppnå en social hållbarhet. / The purpose of the study was to investigate how managers lead and motivate their employees when working remotely. The study consisted of six qualitative interviews with selected managers, all of whom had employees working remotely in different constellations. The analysis aimed to find connections, similarities, and differences among the respondents' answers to understand how they adapt their work approach based on these circumstances. Concepts discussed to contribute to knowledge include motivation based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs and Herzberg's two-factor theory, leadership styles such as trust-based, transformative, and authoritarian. Remote work as a concept and how it can affect motivation and leadership, as well as the social sustainability organizations need to consider for the sustainability goals set by the United Nations, are also discussed. The results of the study indicate that the managers' work in motivating their employees does not necessarily differ from when the employees worked at the office. What stands out is that communication is more important and requires a larger portion of the manager's work. The managers included in the study are similar in their leadership styles and, therefore, share many similar thoughts on how they work with their leadership to motivate their employees. The common denominators were the desire not to micromanage, the importance of communication, and the recognition that leadership can influence employee motivation. Finally, the author of the study adds that more resources are needed for communication and for the wellbeing of the employees to achieve social sustainability.

Solving future problems is a part of the masterprogram of transportation design, where thepossibilities and the push are to tackle socialand environmental problems. In this thesis, thedesigner was keen to investigate the value ofshared vehicles in future megacities since thesedense urban areas will face more challenges thantoday with the increased demands in housing,education, health, leisure and transportation.In order to investigate the future problems thatmegacities will face, the designer focuses ona speculative design approach that is used tohelp navigate the scenarios and determine themost applicable one, enabling him to determinethe values of a shared vehicle. The speculativefuture suggested a formation of segregated sub-societies within the city where individuals areforced to share certain mobility services. However,this segregation will have a reverse effect onhow the mobility behaviour of individuals mightchange in avoiding certain mobility services dueto its association with a sub-society other thanthe one they belong to, for example, people withdifferent ethnicity or social classes.Since mobility systems and vehicles areconsidered facilitators of such segregation andsub-societies formation, the solution can beprovided as a shared mobility vehicle. Such avehicle will form a focal interaction between twostrangers sharing the same route. Using ancientarchitectural techniques (the velarium andoculus), the vehicle creates a humble gatheringexperience that crosses economic, social andethnic differences.To achieve such a design, the designer useddifferent techniques in 2D design and 3Dmodelling to push for multiple directions that led to the formation of one concept, Velaria. TheVelaria is an autonomous oval-shaped vehiclewhere the rounded form, the velarium and theoculus at the roof provide an experience ofhumbleness and gathering by introducing thesky and the light as a higher umbrella or domethat brings users from different backgroundstogether. This technique was used in romanbuildings like the Pantheon and the Colosseum,and carried on to modern art and architecture.This project provides a glimpse of the implicationsof current mobility systems regarding theformation of social sustainability. Thereforethe project gives a clear direction of what thefuture values of the vehicle can be and how thevehicle can be the starting point of weaving thesocial fabric to achieve a resilient society thatcan change the future scenario of mobility andsociety in future megacities.

Sociala obligationer är en typ av obligation där de finansiella medlen som emittenten fått investerat används till samhällsenliga sociala ändamål. Sociala obligationer är relativt nytt och därför finns idag inga generella ramverk eller regler för hur finansiella medel inom en sådan obligation bör användas. Avsaknaden av riktlinjer och rekommendationer har lett till att de bolag som idag har emitterat sociala obligationer har gjort det enligt eget tycke och fördel. Det i sin tur har lett till en väldigt stor bredd på marknaden med få gemensamma definitioner och likheter vilket gör det svårt att jämföra obligationerna sinsemellan. Uppföljning av de allokerade medlen är också något som skiljer sig mellan de olika obligationerna på marknaden. Det sker främst genom redovisning av nyckeltal i emittentens investerarrapporter eller årsredovisningar. De ramverken som presenteras i samband med investeringen har i samtliga fall hittills tagits fram gemensamt mellan emittenten och investeraren vilket innebär att varje nytt bolag som har eller vill emittera en social obligation måste ta fram ett nytt ramverk för just dennes verksamhet. Resultatet blir en uppsjö av fler olika varianter med olika verksamhetsinriktningar, målbilder, genomförandeprocesser och uppföljning. Nyckeltalen som följs upp motsvarar i samtliga av granskade fall hårda värden. Några exempel på nyckeltal som använts är antal kvadratmeter samhällsfastighet respektive antal personer som kan bruka samhällsfastigheter och dess service. Ett annan exempel är nyckeltal som använts vid rapportering av verksamhet i bostadsfastigheter i utanförskapsområden. Då har antalet renoverade bostäder, antal nya bostäder, antal skapade jobb samt boende omsättning mätts. Sammanfattningsvis så är marknaden för sociala obligationer i Sverige både relativt liten och både ny och outvecklad. Klimatet på en sådan marknad gör det både svårt och dyrt att emittera obligationer. Avsaknaden av regleringar, gemensamma ramverk och definitioner innebär att det idag inte finns något lämpligt sätt att jämföra obligationer och därmed kan det inte säkerställas vilken eller vilka satsningar som är mest optimala. När det inte finns några gemensamma verktyg för att vare sig emittera eller följa upp projekt finansierade av sociala obligationer blir begreppet framgång inte helt entydigt. Något marknaden och branschen däremot är enade om är att social hållbarhet är en viktig aspekt i ett hållbart och välfungerande samhälle. / Social obligations are a type of obligation in which the financial resources invested are used for socially beneficial purposes. Social bonds are relatively new and therefore there is currently no general framework or rules on how financial resources within such a bond should be used. The lack of guidelines and recommendations means that companies that, as of today, have issued social bonds have done so at their own liking and benefit. This has resulted in a very broad market with few common definitions and similarities, making it difficult to compare bonds across the board. The monitoring of the funds allocated is also something that differs between the different bonds on the market. This is mainly done through the disclosure of ratios in the issuer's investor reports or annual reports. The frameworks have in all examined cases been developed jointly between the issuer and the investor, which means that each new company that has or wants to issue a social bond has to develop a new framework for the particular operation. The result is numerous variants of social bonds with different operational orientations, visions, monitoring, and implementation processes. In all the cases examined the key performance indicators that are monitored correspond to hard values. Some examples that are used are the number of square meters of community property and the number of people who can use the property and its services. Another example is the ratios used to describe the activities of residential properties in areas of low socioeconomic status. In this case, the number of renovated apartments, the number of new apartments, the number of jobs created, and the housing turnover are measured. In conclusion, the market for social bonds in Sweden is both relatively small but also both new and immature. The climate in such a market makes it both difficult and expensive to issue bonds. The lack of regulations, common frameworks and definitions means that there is currently no appropriate way to compare bonds and therefore it cannot be ensured which activities are the most optimal and successful. In the absence of common tools for both issuing and monitoring projects financed by social bonds, the concept of success becomes ambiguous. What the market and the industry do agree on, however, is that social sustainability is an important aspect of a sustainable and well-functioning society.

Theewaterskloof is a community with several faces. Situated right outside Cape Town, South Africa, the community of Theewaterskloof is distinguished by a low socio-economic standard. Housing and jobs are the main issues that concern the inhabitants of Theewaterskloof. Since 2004 the Theewaterskloof Development Project is run by students and by the Theewaterskloof Development Project Organization. The overall project aims are Service-Learning for students and sustainable rural community development, which in turn should result in increased entrepreneurship, work opportunities and self-sufficiency for the inhabitants in Theewaterskloof.With the complex conditions that characterize the project we found it very valuable to have a sustainable organization representing a strong base and clear concept. We came to understand that the power and motivation to make changes within the organization lies within the organization itself. With this in mind we began researching the project by interviewing involved parties and observing the project in field. The first conclusion we made was that the aims of the Theewaterskloof Development Project in theory and practice were not coherent. We then came to focus on areas within the organization that we perceived to be complex. As a result four themes were identified and processed; 1) Communication, cohesion and will to co-operate, 2) Project office, administration, organization and project management, 3) Enjoyable work assignments, the importance of every person involved and clearer vision on what every person is contributing with, and 4) Clear vision and aim, clarify the purpose of the whole project and clarify the approach to reach the aims. To simplify the themes and make them more applicable we came to our second conclusion; the need of finding a suitable approach for transforming the themes into normative principles. This approach is presented as the Seven Step Approach in which the results are four normative principles; Communication, Project management, Motivation and Strategy, all important for a sustainable organization and the further development of the project. As a final outcome we produced a guide with the base of the Seven Step Approach suited to fit the needs and conditions of Theewaterskloof Development Project. The guide has the purpose of assisting the project organization in achieving the principles to better reach the aims of the project.

Although debate on commons has been going on for the last five decades, it is only in the last two decades that attention has been focussed on new commons. Even then, urban commons though acknowledged as part of new commons, has attracted little attention among researchers of commons. This study therefore sought to explore the nature and management of urban commons and how they (urban commons) contribute to social sustainability in the neighbourhood. This study has taken a qualitative approach and deployed a case study method with a focus on Stapelbadden/Stapelbaddsparken as cases. In-depth semi - structured interviews were conducted with thirteen participants drawn from diverse stakeholders representing different interest groups. The study found out that the two phenomena (Stapelbadden/Stapelbaddsparken) display some of the factors that affect the management or governance of urban commons more than traditional commons namely, indirect value, contested resources, mobility and cross-sector collaboration. In addition, by virtue of creating networks of different user groups, they create bridging social capital which contributes to social sustainability in the city.