Social issues addressed in sustainable community efforts include education, crime, equity, inner-city problems, community building, spirituality, environmental justice, etc. Since this report is focusing on P2 activities, the social issues are not emphasized. However, social issues are considered an important leg of the sustainability stool. A major assumption of the sustainable community definition is that trying to address such issues in isolation eventually ends up hurting some other part of the community's health. For example, if a community focuses only on economic issues, the environment usually suffers.
Most communities also recognize that sustainability is an evolutionary process.
Currently, most experts agree that in the United States a sustainable community does not exist that has achieved sustainability, namely, a community with comprehensive environmental, social, and economic health and stability for many generations to come. Communities are evolving toward sustainability and more sustainable practices. Creating sustainability is a learning process. Most sustainable community efforts also involve an open process in which every member of the community is encouraged to participate. The focus is on consensus building for the community.