ISLANDS OF SUSTAINABILITY - A BOTTOM-UP APPROACH TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

In this paper we introduce the concept of 'islands of sustainability'. The basic assumption is that the development towards sustainability c an be introduced starting from sustainable 'islands'. An island is an area where sustainability is reached at a local or regional level. Exc hange activities within the regional network and with the environment are key points in creating an island of sustainability. One of the mai n theses is that the concept of sustainability addresses not only the interactions between the economic system and the ecosphere but also st ructural aspects of the anthropogenic system, such as the economic div ersity and economic connectedness. Hence, sustainability is linked to the complexity of the regional network. In order to attain sustainabil ity the intensity, the speed, and comprehensiveness of internal and ex ternal interactions, as well as the connectedness of the regional netw ork, have to be changed. In this paper we examine the regional system. The structure, elements, interactions, and boundaries of the regional system are discussed in detail. This systems analysis is the basis of the definition of islands of sustainability. Once we reach sustainabl e development within islands, we then turn our discussion to the chang e of the whole unsustainable economic system. Islands of sustainabilit y can be seen as 'troublemakers' which infiltrate the whole unsustaina ble system and act as cells of development.