Social Sustainability in Construction Projects—A Systematic Review of Assessment Indicators and Taxonomy

Abstract

Despite its importance and appeal, the social dimension of sustainability in construction projects is less explored and lacks a comprehensive and standardized framework. This diminishes the holistic view of sustainability. The existing customized frameworks make the selection of factors challenging across different contexts. Eventually, the practitioners have to pick and choose the factors. This reduces the reliability of social sustainability assessments and makes them a procedural challenge. To fill this gap, the current review synthesizes a framework of social sustainability for construction projects. For this purpose, a systematic review of the literature published until 2021 is performed. The indicators are extracted from the selected 22 papers and their content is analyzed to check for similarities. The final set of 76 factors is synthesized into an assessment framework through a thematic analysis based on a bottom-up approach. The framework is organized into 7 enablers or themes, 27 indicators, and 76 sub-indicators. The enablers of social sustainability are stakeholder, safety and health, human resource development, project, industry, community, and government. The framework provides a comprehensive and precise view of social sustainability which can be leveraged to ensure better planning and sustainable development of construction projects.

Developing a Strategic Sustainability Assessment Methodology for Free Zones Using the Analytical Hierarchy Process Approach

“…Regarding the social aspect of sustainability for free zones, there are a set of proposed indicators as follows: health, security, safety, housing and work conditions indicators [4,5,10,13,29,33,35,[39][40][41][42]45,48,50,51,53,55,57]; jobs provision and employee welfare indicators [4,5,11,13,29,31,33,[39][40][41][42]47,[51][52][53]55,57]; employee training and education indicators [5,11,13,29,33,35,[39][40][41][42][43][44][45]47,51,…”

Contractual Governance for Dispute Resolution and Construction Sustainability: Case Studies from China

“…On the other hand, construction sustainability has gained worldwide attention from a long-term perspective. One reference reviewed the assessment indicators and taxonomy for social sustainability for construction projects [4]. Many indicators and taxonomy were discussed, and a social sustainability framework was contributed [4].…”

“…One reference reviewed the assessment indicators and taxonomy for social sustainability for construction projects [4]. Many indicators and taxonomy were discussed, and a social sustainability framework was contributed [4]. The project and its management were successfully implemented as major indicators enabling the creation of social sustainability [64].…”

“…More seriously, the construction project will fail due to inefficient dispute management. Project delays or even failures cause negative impacts on sustainable development of stakeholders, human resources, projects, industries and governments [4]. Disputes make it difficult for stakeholders to cooperate sustainably without the promising ability to meet their needs [5].…”

“…Disputes make it difficult for stakeholders to cooperate sustainably without the promising ability to meet their needs [5]. The development of human resources relies on organizational development and personal training [4]; however, project suspension makes it unsustainable. Project management is not only limited to its traditional success criteria, but also has a broad view of sustainability [6].…”