2022 Volume 28 Pages 6-20
This paper refers to the process of incorporating environmental values in all areas of society as “greening,” and one approach to the greening of society is to take advantage of the vari-ous functions of nature to create green infrastructure. As society becomes greener, governance is required that involves collaboration and consensus-building among diverse people, but at the same time, environmental sociology is expected to play a role in formulating policy processes for creative, proposal-based solutions. The paper examines the role environmental sociology can play within society in respect to green infrastructure.
Green infrastructure is characterized first by a versatile approach to multipurpose solutions, second by adaptability, and third by the “commoning” of infrastructure, that is, the process of establishing and governing common infrastructure, and is, therefore, a subject to which environmental sociology can contribute. Environmental sociology can be characterized as an introspective policy science that supports creative approaches by “listening” to promote dialogue and mutual learning among diverse people. As an introspective policy science, environmental sociology can undertake the following tasks:first, it can evaluate multiple aspects that cannot be explained solely by economic rationality and efficiency;second, it can provide policy standards for reference;and third, it can integrate and organize various fields. These tasks cannot be sharply differentiated or easily comprehended. Nevertheless, precisely because it is a tool that does not exist in other fields, environmental sociology is well suited to functioning as a device to connect one tool with another, and can enhance policymaking processes by promoting dialogue and collaboration among different sectors and industries.
