Caroline's article on social sustainability is one of the most-read articles in a prestigious journal

Caroline Nilsson, an industrial PhD student at the university, is the lead author of a scientific article that has been recognized as one of the most-read articles in the prestigious international journal Sustainable Development.

– It feels really exciting and honourable. This is my first article as lead author, so it means a lot that it’s actually reaching a wide audience and being read by many people. I’m both proud and grateful for the work that my co-authors and I have put in together, says Caroline Nilsson.

She is an industrial PhD student in the Future Proof Cities research school and employed as a PhD student at the municipal real estate company Gavlefastigheter AB. At the same time, she conducts her research as part of her doctoral studies at the University of Gävle.

– The goal is for my research to be practice-oriented and relevant to real societal challenges. I want to help create a better understanding of what social sustainability means, with a focus on urban planning and municipal real estate development.

"The concept is described as difficult to understand"

Caroline Nilsson recently wrote the scientific article “Navigating complexity with the four pillars of social sustainability.”

– The article is about social sustainability, a concept often described, by both researchers and practitioners, as difficult to understand. With the goal of contributing to greater clarity regarding social sustainability, we conducted a systematic literature review in which we analyze how social sustainability has been defined in previous research. The results show that social sustainability is described based on four central aspects: justice, well-being, participation, and social capital. Based on this, we developed the SoSuCompass framework, which visualizes these components and their interconnections.

What do you think makes so many people interested in this particular article?

– I think many people have found the article because it attempts to clarify social sustainability, a concept that is often perceived as broad, complex, and difficult to define. At the same time, social sustainability has become increasingly relevant in research, urban development, and community planning.

She also believes that the attempt to structure the concept and highlight key aspects has contributed to the interest in the article, where the SoSuCompass illustration may have played an important role.

– It visualizes the concept and shows how different parts are connected. This can make it easier to get an overview, see connections, and spark further discussion, she says.

Text: Anna Sällberg

Read the scientific article: Navigating Complexity with the Four Pillars of Social Sustainability External link.