A Framework for the Components of Social Sustainability in Housing Based on Content Analysis of Relevant Studies

Sustainable development initially focused on environmental concerns in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In the late 1990s, economic issues were added to its dimensions. The social dimension, the last pillar of sustainable development, is later elaborated and considered as an integral part of sustainability. The purpose of this study is to find out the components of social sustainability in housing from the literature review of studies that were done previously on this subject. According to a systematic review of studies, 129 resources related to social sustainability were found. In the first stage, the research questions were formulated. Accordingly, the main research question is: “which components are effective in promoting social sustainability?” The second stage is to determine the ways to answer them. The data were collected from databases such as Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar and Scientific Information Database (SID), and Magiran. The available databases were searched for research studies addressing the main keywords and phrases. Based on the results of coding in content analysis, the five components were identified according to their importance: (1) "social security" (2) "social participation" (3) "social capital / social interactions" (4) "social justice" (5) "access to public services and public transport" and "Health services/health facilities". The last two factors have the same value. Finally, a conceptual framework is suggested for the classification of the components. The audit includes five general categories such as "economic dimension", "environmental dimension", "functional and social infrastructure", "social and cultural life", and "physical desirability".