Complexity approach to sustainability: theory and application
- London Imperial College Press 2011
- xxvi,: 361p.
1. Introducing complexity and sustainability. -- 1.1. Why we need a new approach. -- 1.2. The need for a new paradigm. -- 1.3. Sustainability. -- 1.4. Conceptual platform : Systems, cybernetics. -- 1.5. Sustainability : A review from systemic and complexity approaches. -- 1.6. Summary -- 2. Viability through complexity management : Revisiting the viable systems model. -- 2.1. The conceptual platform. -- 2.2. Overview : Three elements, five systems. -- 2.3. The five systems. 2.4. Viability through complexity management. -- 2.5. Managing complexity in the 3/4/5 homeostat : Team syntegrity. -- 2.6. Viable systems, complex adaptive systems and sustainability. -- 2.7. Summary -- 3. Societies as viable systems : Complexity management and sustainability. -- 3.1. Introduction. 3.2. Modelling a sustainable society. -- 3.3. VSM criteria for sustainable governance. -- 3.4. Approaches, methodologies and tools. -- 3.5. Managing complexity in a nation state. -- 3.6. Lessons for modelling sustainable societies. -- 3.7. Conclusion -- 4. Complexity and environmental management. -- 4.1. Environmental management : Origins, development, application and assessment. -- 4.2. Holistic and complex system approaches to environmental management. -- 4.3. Environmental management in business. -- 4.4. Case study : Environmental management from the Magdalena River basin--. 4.5. Towards a complexity-based framework for environmental management. -- 4.6. Conclusion -- 5. Rethinking sustainable development. -- 5.1. Approaches to sustainable development. -- 5.2. Rethinking the paradigm of development. -- 5.3. Self-governance in communities : Developing a European eco-village. -- 5.4. From sustainable development to sustainable governance. -- 5.5. Case study : Developing a governance system for a national programme against poverty. -- 5.6. Conclusions -- 6. Envisioning solutions for the required societal transition. -- 6.1. The required societal transition. -- 6.2. From individuals to families, neighbourhoods, communities and towns. -- 6.3. From the eco-region to the continental levels. -- 6.4. The global recursion : A planetary society striving towards sustainability.-- 6.5. Conclusions -- 7. Conclusions. -- 7.1. System 5 : Identity and the need to adopt a new paradigm of sustainable governance. -- 7.2. Need for recursive sustainable self-governance. 7.3. Co-evolution between an organisation and its niche. -- 7.4. Structural design. -- 7.5. Creating a co-evolutionary learning society. -- 7.6. Contributions to the development of complexity sciences. -- 7.7. Final statement.