Paper short abstract:

The paper will present results on a review of research literature on the cultural dimensions of sustainability aiming at introducing the various dimensions of cultural sustainability as a basis for further discussions.

Paper long abstract:

The neologism 'sustainable development' was launched in 1987 by The Brundtland Commission, formally known as the World Commission on Environment and Development. Despite the international conventions, theoretical and conceptual understanding of culture within the general frames of sustainability is vague, and consequently, the role of culture in the policies of sustainable development has remained under-emphasised. Presumably, for this reason, national, regional and local policy, as well as research focusing on sustainable development, often examine the cultural dimension as a part of the social one, or totally ignore it. The ultimate aim of the paper is to identify and analyse dimensions on 'cultural sustainability' thorough reviewing existing research literature. The paper will especially focus on, how the concepts of 'culture' and 'development' and their interrelationships are represented by the articles reviewed. The paper will end up with seven dimensions of cultural sustainability and discuss their contribution to the policies of sustainable development.