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Sustainable Development 8/24/2013 6:50:09 PM
The concept of “Sustainable Development” was first advocated by the Brundtland Report mandated by the United Nations in 1983 through the World Commission on Environment and Development to propose solutions to the world’s problems on environment and development. This commission led by Gro Harlem Brundtland sought to define the form of development which could solve the problems of poverty without increasing the problems cause by affluence. The Commission defined Sustainable Development as “development which meets the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. The commission proposed policy changes in population and human resources, food security, species and ecosystem conservation, energy, industry and urban settlements. The “Sustainable Development” concept is sweeping across the entire world involving almost all social, economic, cultural, educational and political institutions. It is now unrealistic to think of running a program or project without a concrete plan for its long-term viability and ultimate sustainability in the very competitive marketplace. The current economic and financial crisis plaguing world economies has been a “litmus test” on their sustainability and long-term viability of many banks and other financial institutions as well as political, educational and economic organizations.
Generally, the major components of “Sustainable Development Projects” are Ecology or Environment, Economics, politics and Social Welfare. The projects should be viable, expedient, acceptable and adaptable to citizens and the environment and range from roads to bridges, buildings, education, social projects, business undertakings and other projects altering environmental landscapes. According to Martinuzzi et al, (2009), holistic approach, long-term orientation, large spatial and institutional scale, risk and uncertainty, values and ethical considerations, participation, capacity building should always be incorporated and integrated in the objects. The authors further state that the definition of “Sustainable Development Projects” should be project considerations such as project objectives, work break-down structures, project deadlines, project resources, revenues, costs, project organizational culture and the project management process.
It is a truism that Project Sustainability remains a major challenge nowadays not only to developing countries but to developed countries as well due to technological transformation, political changes, corruption, nepotism, deregulation, financial instability characterized by insolvency and liquidity problems, and other social, cultural, environmental and economic factors. A great variety of projects continued to be implemented at a huge cost often above budget and time and this often affect their sustainability. World famous sustainable business projects such as Ford Motors, Mercedes Benz, Sony Corporation, Toyota, Honda, Sharp, Microsoft, Wal-Mart, Home Depot etc. have been able to sustain themselves in the marketplace they have been scalable, manageable, extensible, expandable and their products and services adapted to customers and the corporations.
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