2024 Conference Re-Cap: Key Takeaways

Thank you to everyone who attended the 2024 ISI Annual Conference, “Realizing the Vision.” This year, the list of registrants, comprised of civil engineers, planners, designers, architects, constructors, owners, and academics reached 1,800 — a new record for us. A special thank-you to our esteemed presenters and moderators who provided such terrific sessions. And the conference need not fade into memory! You can still replay any session in the Zoom Events lobby, which will remain open until December 31st. The recordings will then be moved to the ISI website where they will be available in users’ accounts.  

The 2024 ISI Annual Conference was a huge success, providing actionable strategies and insights to our audience, and we wanted to take this opportunity to highlight some key achievements. Here are six big takeaways. 

Envision users are part of a thriving community, one that matters more than ever. The annual conference gathers a diversity of civil infrastructure professionals. You might be part of a small team taking on (seemingly) daunting goals. Or you might be working to change the nature of your organization. Regardless of your specific roles in infrastructure development or your organization’s current level of Envision adoption, throughout our conference, you can see the broader impact that Envision users are achieving together. And that’s truly inspiring! What we do has always been critical and will continue to be even more so.

Envision can be applied to a wide range of project size and types. The broad range of case studies and lessons shared underscored the versatility of ISI’s Envision rating system. We were reminded that no matter the type of project — it might be a new highway, bridge or runway, an improved drinking water facility, a renewable source of energy, a revitalized park system, a climate-resilient shoreline — the Envision rating system can play a key role in delivering a higher-performing project that maximizes benefits for communities.  

Envision is being applied by public agencies and by AEC firms large and small. Our event attracted 1,800 registrants working to plan, design, and build civil infrastructure projects — 600 more than last year. That’s 600 more professionals committed to delivering triple-bottom line benefits on infrastructure projects. These include social benefits such as achieving stronger and more equitable communities, environmental benefits such as protecting and enhancing the air we breathe and the water that sustains our planet, and economic benefits such as creating local jobs and ensuring ratepayers receive good value for their infrastructure investment.

The ENV SP credential is the credential of choice for sustainable infrastructure professionals. People from across North America and around the world tuned in for the opportunity to learn more about Envision and its implementation. Bonus: by attending, participants also fulfilled their Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP) credential maintenance hours as the conference offered several elective course hours and two prescribed course hours (The “Project Showcase” and the session on “Building Together: Sustainability, Equity and Engagement”). The ENV SP credential is widely used and recognized by the civil infrastructure sector. Whether you’re with an organization with 4 ENV SPs — or 400 ENV SPs — know that you are making a difference for the future of civil infrastructure.

Our speakers and moderators delivered! Our presenters swung for the fences as they shared strategies to plan, design and build sustainable and resilient infrastructure. Their sessions were rich with insights on collaboration, resilience, nature-inspired solutions, cutting carbon, sustainability in construction, the cost of Envision, and moving to scale with Envision. Special thanks to our keynote speakers Ethan Kent of PlacemakingX and TJ Moon of Los Angeles County Public Works and to our guest moderators Prabh Banga (Aecon Group, Inc.), Stephanie Printz (HDR), and Bob Beinstein (AECOM).

We would also like to recognize the bright minds who presented their insights and experiences in the poster session presentations on November 6 and 7. We were inspired by these young students and professionals who will be writing sustainable infrastructure’s next chapter. They helped remind all of us that the right projects connect to communities and deliver gifts to the future.

Finally, advancing sustainable development has always been about collaboration. That collaboration happens every day, between the public agencies and their engineering consulting firm partners. But that collaboration is also demonstrated in the work of the many not-for-profit organizations, institutes and academic organizations who bring their knowledge and experience to the table. Their initiatives and the commitment to implementing them will continue to change our industry for the better.

Working together, these organizations are on the front lines in making infrastructure more sustainable, resilient, and equitable. We hope you will join us again for the 2025 ISI Annual Conference, and we invite you to attend our webinar series throughout the year. Thank you to all of our conference participants and supporters who continue to advance our important mission!