Four dimensional spatial sustainability (4DSS): a revolutionary approach toward utopian sustainability

Abstract This research paper is composed of several interrelated sections that present thought-provoking concepts and debates concerning sustainability. Substantially, it argues the failure of the classical definition of sustainability and underlines serious worldwide challenges that face the planet and mankind due to the questionable current modes of development. Understanding the importance of adopting more comprehensive definition that ensures integrating critical missing aspects; mainly the cultural-historical and temporal analysis, as well as, rethinking the approach when applying that concept is more urgent than ever. In this sense, the author theorizes new ground-breaking definition for sustainability; namely the four dimensional spatial sustainability, and so, develops innovative approaches that effectively facilitate adopting a set of philosophical models pertaining to this revolutionary definition on different temporal scales. The social aspect has far-reaching impacts upon the different models, hence it is considered as chief factor that democratically supports, controls and enhances the other dimensions, i.e. economic, environmental, and cultural-historical. Basically, these models catalyze generating socially-driven synergy that fosters change in key systems, and creates therefore, spatial participative sustainability leading, on the long run, to standardized spatial sustainability featuring what the author calls ‘utopian sustainability’ on global scale.