Cultural aspects of sustainable development

Student paper for Sustainable Design Seminar/Studio, Fall 2009. Instructors: Werner Lang and Wilfred Wang.The history of humanity's struggle for survival has produced a mindset that values production and consumption. But it has become increasingly obvious that this mindset has become outdated as the planet's population threatens to outgrow and deplete the world's resources. This is true for both material resources and cultural resources, or "social capital": as world economies become more global, cultural values are lost to commodification and displacement. This paper examines these problems and possible strategies for shifting to a new paradigm of sustainability. Based on research by Niklaus Kohler and his team.The Meadows Foundation, grant #2008060137Architectur