{"id":25639,"date":"2025-11-19T13:11:36","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T11:11:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogit.lab.fi\/labfocus\/?p=25639"},"modified":"2025-11-19T13:33:21","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T11:33:21","slug":"how-to-elevate-social-sustainability-parameters-in-development-projects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogit.lab.fi\/labfocus\/en\/how-to-elevate-social-sustainability-parameters-in-development-projects\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Elevate Social Sustainability Parameters in Development Projects"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Social sustainability was recently defined by the World Bank as when all people feel part of a development process and believe that they and their descendants will benefit from it <\/em>(Barron et al. 2023, 19\u201320). So why is it that some researchers feel like the sentiment of communities affected by large-scale projects is undervalued in impact assessment frameworks? (Vanclay 2019, 126\u2013131; Biswal et al. 2023, 416\u2013427)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If during the planning phase, a project has estimated pollution levels that rise above what is established as healthy, it will most likely not be approved. If high pollution levels are discovered only during the operation phase, there is still a high risk that it will be suspended or shut down entirely. However, such drastic measures are not the standard when it comes to potential negative levels of social impact in surrounding communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The perspective of a community is understandably difficult to measure since satisfaction levels are complex and dependent on the interests and values of each individual (Richter 2023, 591). Results can also be very different in distinct areas of social wellbeing and at different points in time. Even if this is the case, there are existing frameworks which can help project developers as well as government bodies build a picture of a community\u2019s standpoint. By measuring social impact, opportunities can be discovered, challenges can be forecasted and handled, and risks can be mitigated appropriately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social Licence to Operate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Social Licence to Operate or SLO is one of the concepts which can be used as a framework of continuous evaluation of social impact perception and community acceptance of an organization or project (Stuart et al. 2023). The importance of SLO analysis is highlighted by its iterative nature which allows for the evaluation of community acceptance at different stages of the project. This contrasts with Social Impact Assessment methods, which are usually carried out in the context of a larger Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) effort, and is part of the planning and construction phases of a relevant undertaking (Ogorodnikova et al. 2024, 16\u201331).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the parameters which can be used to measure SLO are closely related to the definition of social sustainability. The following SLO factors have been defined by Cruz et al. (2021):<\/p>\n\n\n\n