Institutional Drivers of Socially Sustainable Habitat Systems and the Role of Organizational Awareness

Abstract

This study examines how institutional pressures influence the adoption of social sustainability practices in habitat systems within the construction sector. Drawing on Institutional Theory, the research analyzes the differentiated effects of coercive, mimetic, and normative pressures, as well as the mediating role of organizational awareness. Data were collected through a digital survey administered between February and March 2026 to 102 professionals linked to construction and habitat development projects in Mexico, including architects, civil engineers, valuators, and related specialists. The proposed model was evaluated using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results show that coercive pressures constitute the only statistically significant institutional mechanism affecting organizational awareness (β = 0.310; p = 0.043), while mimetic and normative pressures do not exhibit significant effects. Furthermore, organizational awareness strongly explains the adoption of social sustainability practices (β = 0.739; p < 0.001), which, in turn, is strongly associated with sustainable habitat outcomes (β = 0.711; p < 0.001). The model achieved moderate predictive power, with R2 values of 0.449 for awareness, 0.546 for adoption, and 0.505 for sustainable habitat systems. The findings contribute to institutional theory by demonstrating that institutional mechanisms operate asymmetrically in emerging contexts and that organizational awareness functions as a key explanatory mechanism linking external pressures with sustainability outcomes. The study also provides practical implications for urban governance, regulatory design, and socially sustainable habitat planning.