Culture and sustainability

Culture matters for sustainability. While this argument has already been acknowledged by cultural economists, conventional sustainability discourses are still dominated by economic and ecological perspectives. The question remains what the relationship between the two concepts can look like. Recent attempts have been made by scholars and policy makers to include culture in the sustainability discourse. However, there is a general lack of empirical studies that analyse the role of culture for sustainability. This study introduces one specific case where the two concepts meet, the sustainable urban re-development project De Ceuvel. By means of qualitative face-to-face interviews, the study sets out to explain the value of culture for sustainability for the members of De Ceuvel. The aim is to examine different possibilities of including culture at the core of sustainability. This study thus contributes to the current debate about the value of culture. In addition, it provides insights into the connection of sustainability technologies and cultural breeding places in Amsterdam and the policy objectives behind their implementation. It is argued that the importance of culture arises from its two interrelated definitions (anthropological, functional), which enable culture to be the carrier of the message of sustainability.