The need for our place on Earth to be sustainable is ever more important and every day new concerns challenge us, whether it be the increase in homelessness, plastic pollution, climate change, loss of biodiversity or widening levels of wealth and prosperity.
Sadly, none of these challenges are new. Organisations such as Friends of the Earth have been saying much the same since it was founded 50 years ago. The property and construction industry has made huge strides to help address these issues but there is much more to do.
The property and construction industry
The British Property Federation has, for example, a sustainability committee which encourages its membership to work towards a more sustainable built environment and is currently working on energy-related matters and a stronger commitment to developing places that support “happier, healthier and safer communities”.
Most readers will be aware of the Brundtland Report – Our Common Future (1987) which defined sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’’.
The report underlined three crucial components to sustainable development: environmental protection, economic growth and social equity. These so-called pillars of sustainability have since been enshrined into the National Planning Policy Framework when it was first introduced in 2012 and as revised in 2019 (see box).
UN objectives
Since the Brundtland Report, the United Nations has set out eight international development goals for the 2000-15 period which addressed poverty, hunger, gender equality, child mortality and maternal heath, disease, environmental sustainability and global partnerships. In 2015, all 193 UN member states established a new set of wider global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to stimulate further action “in areas of critical importance for humanity and the planet” (see below).
The UN has emphasised through these 17 SDGs that they fundamentally address the five Ps: people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnerships (see box, right). The focus is also on all countries, irrespective of whether they are rich or poor, in the developed or developing world and addresses the key components of life on Earth: land, air, water and living things across urban and rural areas.
The acknowledgment of the role towns and cities have in the challenge of a sustainable future resulted in the inclusion of SDG 11: sustainable cities and communities. This was over and above the earlier set of development goals published in 2000. Click here to see more .
The 2015 SDGs are part of the so-called Agenda 2030 programme that has reached out beyond governments to the private sector, social organisations and the professions – including those concerned with the built and natural environment. These include the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and Landscape Institute (LI).
Land, construction, real estate and the SDGs
The RICS has worked with the UN in trying to map the SDGs with the activities of the sector. The result was the 2018 RICS report: Advancing Responsible Business in Land, Construction and Real Estate Use and Investment – Making the Sustainable Development Goals a Reality.
As can be seen from the graphic (above), SPGs 1, 3 ,6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15 and 16 all relate to the work of our sector.
See also the RICS report Fostering the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in land, construction, real estate and infrastructure – RICS UN Global Compact Communication on Engagement Report.
All students should have a look at both reports. For other readers it is a good CPD opportunity.
Mandatory competencies
What RICS competencies address aspects of the UN SDGs? The most obvious is sustainability. This is currently a mandatory competence to Level 1 for all prospective surveyors, but at some point in the future, this might be required to Level 2.
The sustainability competency covers the role of the surveyor in dealing with the impact of sustainability issues. In order to pass this level, candidates must demonstrate “a broad-based understanding of the theory of sustainability as set in its political and legal framework, together with an appreciation of its economic, social and environmental context and the tools and techniques used to measure cost and return, and evaluate options for action.”
Please note that all three pillars of sustainability are highlighted – not just environmental ones that some might have assumed would be the focus of a land and property-focused profession.
In providing more guidance, the RICS states that for Level 1 knowledge and understanding the following must be demonstrated:
“why and how sustainability seeks to balance economic, environmental and social objectives at global, national and local levels in the context of land, property and the built environment.”
The above relates to SDG 11 “Sustainable Cities and Communities” and SDG 13 “Climate Action”.
RICS guidance suggests that knowledge and understanding at this level could include, for example:
- The principles of sustainability within the development process.
- The relationship between property and the environment.
- How national and international legislation, regulations and taxation relating to sustainability affect a project.
- Criteria by which sustainability is measured in relation to finished buildings.
- The principles of how design, technology and construction processes can contribute to sustainable building.
- Design considerations – site, location, building form, materials, lighting, ventilation, heating, water and drainage.
- Sources of renewable energy and energy recovery.
- The principles of material resource efficiency within the supply chain.
The above have a strong focus on the environment, especially SDGs 4-8 (see below). Only the first three draw in the wider economic and social aspects.
However, and this is important, the list only contains examples – and students as future APC candidates should be prepared to answer questions on the wider economic and social factors. See also.
Other mandatory competencies and UN SDGs
Are there any other mandatory competencies that relate to the UN SDGs? Yes: Inclusive environments addresses some aspects of relevance. Prospective surveyors here are expected to know and understand “the principles and processes that deliver accessible and inclusive environments, recognising the diversity of user needs and the requirement to put people (of all ages and abilities) at the heart of the process.” In doing so, it recognises and accommodates difference, and does not physically or socially separate, discriminate or isolate. It readily accommodates and welcomes diverse user needs. The guide makes clear the “legal, economic, sustainable and social case for making inclusion the norm not the exception”. This statement is very much in the spirit of aspects of SDG 11. The UN states the SDGs “explicitly include disability and persons with disability 11 times”.
Final thoughts
The imperative to be more sustainable in economic, social and environmental terms, is increasingly the responsibility of all within our sector, whether at a local, national or global level. In doing so, the UN SDGs provide a powerful call to action and, in the words of the RICS, the case is clear for “real estate users and real estate investors to get involved, taking action on the goals which are strategically relevant from both a risk and growth standpoint. This will not only deliver social, environmental and ethical value, but is equally essential for long-term financial success. Responsible action needs to become ‘business as usual’.
UN sustainable development goals
- Eradicate extreme poverty through ensuring that economic growth is inclusive, promotes equality and provides sustainable jobs
- Reduce hunger through rethinking how we grow, allocate and consume food and promote more sustainable forms of agriculture
- Increase good health and well-being for all ages
- Ensure the provision of quality education to help people to improve their lives
- Promote and underline gender equality as a fundamental human right, calling out sexist language and behaviour
- Ensure availability and access to clean water and sanitation for all
- Support affordable, reliable and sustainably produced energy for all
- Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth and the opportunity of decent work for all
- Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
- Reduce inequality within and among countries
- Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
- Ensure sustainable consumption and production
- Take urgent action to combat climate change
- Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
- Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
- Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive societies at all levels
- Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise global partnerships for action
Sustainable principles enshrined in the National Planning Policy Framework 2019
“a) an economic objective – to help build a strong, responsive and competitive economy, by ensuring that sufficient land of the right types is available in the right places and at the right time to support growth, innovation and improved productivity; and by identifying and co-ordinating the provision of infrastructure;
b) a social objective – to support strong, vibrant and healthy communities, by ensuring that a sufficient number and range of homes can be provided to meet the needs of present and future generations; and by fostering a well-designed and safe built environment, with accessible services and open spaces that reflect current and future needs and support communities’ health, social and cultural well-being; and
c) an environmental objective – to contribute to protecting and enhancing our natural, built and historic environment; including making effective use of land, helping to improve biodiversity, using natural resources prudently, minimising waste and pollution, and mitigating and adapting to climate change, including moving to a low carbon economy.”
Further study on the competency
- Jen Lemen FRICS has produced a blog on sustainability with the APC in mind
- David Inman FRICS CEnv, who is an APC assessor, provides a short YouTube talk on the competency
Paul Collins is a surveyor and academic at Nottingham Trent University. He welcomes suggestions for the column and can be contacted at
paul.collins@ntu.ac.uk
