Social sustainability within property management and development : Developing a framework for systematic validation of social sustainability aspects within management and development of commercial properties in northern Sweden

Sammanfattning: Social sustainability is one of the three foundations in the definition of sustainable development. Despite this, there is no common overarching definition of social sustainability. Climate and environmental issues are defined and complemented by global and national agreements. The lack of a common definition of social sustainability is a result of the susceptibility of the experience of social sustainability to the local context and subjective assessments.This study focuses on commercial property companies in Sweden and their strategic work with social sustainability as an integrated part of the business. Existing research indicates that tools for strategic assessment of social sustainability are required. The purpose of this study is to develop a social sustainability framework intended to help property developers and owners to assess and manage social sustainability aspects in a systematic way. By using the framework, the intention is to increase properties social and economic value, as well as the financing opportunities for property companies.The framework is developed through an iterative process inspired by a multi-methodological approach for system development. By analysing two existing sustainability evaluation methods in combination with existing research within the field, 63 aspects for social sustainability are identified and applied into this framework. The identified aspects are divided into five categories (health and well-being, safety and security, climate and ecology, dialogue and relation and flexibility, mobility, and equality). The developed framework is applied on two existing, commercial properties located in northern Sweden. To conclude, the framework can be a strategic instrument for socially sustainable property management and development in this specific region. Further development is suggested.