A Values-Based Approach to Sustainability in Construction: Exploring the Influence of Personal Values on Socially Relevant Construction Decisions

An emergent sustainability perspective defines it as a dynamic system of interrelated values. It views sustainability as a network of broad ideals and goals that, while desirable in the abstract, are challenging to achieve in practice because of their motivational conflicts, contextual limitations, and the varying significance these values hold to different actors. Utilizing this perspective, this dissertation synthesizes and presents a values-based approach to sustainability within the construction industry. Furthermore, it addresses a critical experimental gap in this approach by exploring the feasibility of leveraging the personal values of construction actors to drive project-level decisions that align with broader industry-level social sustainability objectives, like reducing socio-economic disparities by enhancing the participation of subcontractor firms owned by individuals from underrepresented or historically marginalized groups in the construction sector.