A Theoretical Review of Ecological Economic Thinking amongst Professionals in the Built Environment

The impact of society on the environment and socio-economic development has been considerably contributed by the consumption of natural resources and energy from the construction industry. The present paper evaluates the ecological and environmental awareness of the ecological economic (EE) concept amongst Built Environment professionals in the Gauteng Province of South Africa within the Built Environment. The research was conducted through the use of credible secondary based (literatures) sources. The literature revealed that ecological thinking is currently hindered by the following: non-immediacy of many ecological problems, slow and gradual ecological destruction and complex systems in place. Moreover, there are also demographic, external and internal reasons that influenced sustainability in the built environment which include: level of education and sector of employment amongst others. Also, the study revealed that the awareness level of EE amongst professionals is limited in the construction industry.