Sustainability evaluation performance method for ecovillages

Abstract

Sustainability guides the activities in ecovillages beginning from its conception, implantation, use and management. This study shows a performance evaluation methodology, which was adapted to these settlements, to measure the sustainability levels reached by them. This work deals with ecologic sustainability applied to ecovillages, the symbolic, human, technical, environment, economic and social performances, shelter, access and tenure kinds of dimensions, the Relative Satisfaction Degree and Critical Success Factors. The method was applied in a brazilian ecovillage to evaluate the user satisfaction to the sustainability and settlement management and includes quantitative and qualitative researches for a better analysis and results. The Critical Success Factors are the lower satisfactions areas showed in research and it was used to analyze the fragile aspects of the settlement to improve the management of the ecovillage. From this study it is possible to verify the real situation of the ecovillages sustainability, due to set the mentioned concepts leading the performance evaluation and management of these settlements. The work’s originality lies on the formulation of a sustainability performance evaluation method for these settlements.