The Impact of Malta’s Cultural Specificities as a Small Island State on Regenerative Sustainability Principles in the Built Environment

Malta, a Small Island State at the southernmost periphery of Europe, is characterised by several specificities related to its insularity. Geographically, the state is composed of an archipelago of islands at the centre of the Mediterranean Sea, nestled between Sicily and Tunisia. Culturally, Malta is as yet labouring to embrace concepts of sustainability that go beyond the usual lip service given to the term. Post-colonialism is rife and manifested ubiquitously, from within the institutions of government to the collective memory of the Maltese people. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the institutions related to the construction industry. Malta’s environment, whether built, rural or marine, is governed by a hierarchy of policies that ostensibly aim to honour the pertinent Sustainable Development Goals ratified by the state. Amongst these are the need to support a net positive impact on the environment during a building’s lifecycle. This research explores the extent to which such concepts are currently being embraced by the local construction industry. Notwithstanding a plethora of strategic plans and policies that are available, it is evident that the socio-ecological implications of Malta’s high dependency on the construction industry needs to be analysed in terms of the wider ecological scenario. Through this research, an assessment of regenerative sustainability principles was undertaken in appreciation of the specificities of the country, which may in fact hold the key to achieving progress in the mainstreaming of such principles amongst the industries related to the built environment on the Islands.