Assessment of social sustainability: a comparative analysis

Sustainable development is a widely used term, which has been discussed thoroughly at environmental, economic and social levels. While prior researches were dominated initially by environmental issues and economic aspects, social dimension had less chance of study. Therefore, the goal of this study is to understand the physical and non-physical aspects of social sustainability and to assess its application in housing developments. In this research, a mixed method approach was used to assess social sustainability in different typologies of housing development. Two residential compounds and its surroundings were investigated. Morphological analysis for the research setting was conducted along with statistical analysis for the collected data from households. As a result, there was a salient difference between compound and its surroundings. This can be seen clearly in the case of serious trial to improve social sustainability represented by providing vital open spaces associated with a well-designed facility. This helps to create various forms of social interaction and boosts a sense of belonging which will affect positively on social sustainability. Meanwhile, poor design creates negative energy due to the absence of social sustainability parameters. So, there is a need to consider the role of social infrastructure in designing and planning residential development.