This essay gives the reader an overview of the different problems and issues a landscape architect might meet, in the process of planning and realizing an eco-village. Its aim is to stimulate new ideas, based on the traditional, present and future working field of landscape architects. The essay does not claim to cover all imaginable aspects of social sustainability within an eco- village, but refers to the presented sources for further in-depth reading. Although the original focus has been on physical planning, the interviewees’ words have been of big importance, and to a certain extent changed the constitution of this essay. This has resulted in the essay dealing with subjects that traditionally would not be included in the term of physical planning. The areas that are discussed are stability in population structure, the importance of an interactive planning process and self-management, integration and accessibility for the differently abled, economic sustainability and mixed housing, geographical location of the village, public and private spaces, culture, spirituality, green structure, size for social units, permaculture principles and green technology. The text is composed to create continuity and the subjects are not organized concerning values they might contain. The main conclusion of this research is that the community itself as an active part, in an early phase of the process, is at least as important as the role the physical planner plays in creating social sustainability. In fact, this is the one factor that almost all sources agree on. Apart from this, the essay concludes that consideration of the design and size of green areas and availability of space for social activities and culture is important in creating social sustainability. Furthermore, it has notified that there is no extensive research on physical planning and spirituality and thus cannot draw any conclusions on this connection. It stands clear though, that culture and spirituality are closely c...
