Sustainable value, interdisciplinary competence, and urban transformation toward sustainability among the young generation in Taiwan

Abstract

This study assessed public attitudes toward sustainable city transformation projects. We examined how the interdisciplinary competence of younger generations is related to urban transitions toward sustainability. To this end, we developed measurement scales for interdisciplinary competence and attitudes toward sustainable city transformation projects. In addition, we investigate how individuals’ sustainability values (environmental, social, and economic) interact with their interdisciplinary competence to shape their attitudes. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey conducted between November 2020 and May 2021 involving 402 university students. Alongside closed-ended questions, the survey included several open-ended items to gather qualitative insights into the participants’ reasoning. We then applied multiple regression models for the statistical analysis. The results indicate that young people’s attitudes toward sustainable city transformation projects are related to both their interdisciplinary competence and sustainability values. The younger generation generally perceives sustainable city investment as the primary contributor to environmental value. However, interdisciplinary cognition was found to weaken the importance of environmental values in shaping attitudes toward sustainable city transformation. Simultaneously, interdisciplinary cognition does not help young people connect sustainable city transformations with social or economic sustainability values. We conclude that the competence in interdisciplinary cognition is critical in communicating sustainable city projects to younger generations. Specifically, interdisciplinary cognition moderates the relationship between environmental values and sustainable city transformation; as interdisciplinary cognition increases, the strength of this relationship diminishes. These findings contribute theoretically to the environmental psychology literature on Value–Belief–Norm and provide practical implications for governments and enterprises engaged in sustainable city infrastructure development.