Human Values and Sustainable Construction Management: A Literature Review

This review examines how human values have been conceptualized in sustainable construction and the primary considerations for the study, management, and application of values to the built environment's transition to sustainability. "Values" are understood as "assets" and/or "goals" in the sustainable construction literature. These meanings are mediated by the triple bottom line model of economic, environmental, and social sustainability and by the ideals of benefit maximization, balance, and optimization. The review also revealed that sustainability has been defined as an adaptive system of values, and three approaches to it were synthesized: essentialism (alignment of stakeholders' values with an absolute ethical framework), pragmatism (negotiation and use of already held values), and critical approach (empowerment of non-governing stakeholders). Findings support the idea that human values and the built environment are subject to an ongoing mutual reconfiguration. Findings also suggest how already-held values can be used to foster sustainability initiatives in the construction industry.