A Regional Concept of Qualitative Growth and Sustainability—Support for a Case Study in the German State of Baden-Württemberg

The term ‘sustainable development’ is a prophetic combination of two words which unites both aspects—economic progress and environmental quality—in one vision. This vision of an economic structure that meets all needs of this generation without restricting the needs of future generations is highly attractive, because it reconciles the terms ‘economy’ and ‘ecology’—terms seen so often as opposites—and postulates a generally acceptable distribution rule among generations. Lest the concept of sustainable development deteriorates into meaningless pleas, it must be anchored and designed to suit definite requirements. What is needed is a description of the concept that is as exact as possible, and details on how to implement it. Such a definition should allow for flexibility—but not arbitrariness—in implementing the concept. At the same time, the concept must have the strength of broadly accepted reasoning behind it in order to remain applicable above and beyond the interests of various players involved. The project of the Center of Technology Assessment in Baden-Württemberg with the title ‘Qualitative Growth as Prerequisite for Sustainable Development in Baden-Württemberg’ is an attempt to accomplish this objective. It is an attempt to help interpret the implications of the concept by developing general guidelines and conversation strategies for the various levels of players involved. It will then test, and try to improve upon, the means proposed to achieve the concept of sustainable development through case studies in the region that have been derived deductively from the concept. © 1996 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC