COST Action "Investigating Cultural Sustainability" Final Report: Culture in, for and as Sustainable Development

Culture can be regarded as a fundamental issue, even a precondition to be met on the path towards Sustainable Development that is necessary to get to grips with in Europe and whole world. However, the theoretical and conceptual understanding of culture within the general frames of sustainable development remains vague and consequently, the role of culture is poorly operationalised in the enviromental and social policies. The ultimate goal of the COST Action "Investigating Cultural Sustainability" is to increase understanding of and determine the role of culture in sustainable development based on multidisciplinary principles and approaches.

The main results of the Action have been published in "Culture in, for and as Sustainable Development. Conclusions of the COST IS1007 Action Investigating Cultural Sustainability". The publication defines and describes the three roles of culture  in sustainable development identified by the Action and illustrates them with real-life cases. Furthermore it reflects the implications for policies and developing assessment frameworks. The publication  is addressed to scientific community, policy-makers and practitioners interested in the field.  

The Action is co-ordinated by the University of Jyväskylä, Finland and supported by COST, which is an intergovernmental framework for European Cooperation in Science and Technology.