Urban Sustainability: Q Method Application to Five Cities of the Azorean Islands

Abstract

Are perspectives on urban sustainability forged by global context or influenced by local contexts or by personal features? To respond to this question the Q method approach is used to identify the main perspectives of urban sustainability in five Azorean cities and compare them with the local context. Results show that: a) urban contexts, rather than personal features, exert a strong influence on the sustainable perspectives of the stakeholders; b) positive perspectives on sustainable development are always assumed by respective municipal employees; and c) social worries are often more relevant than environmental problems. Summing up, even for global problems, such as urban sustainability, people’s awareness is strongly influenced by local context and by issues that can be addressed locally reinforcing the concept of place-based policies having a say.