May 1, 2024 | WEBINAR: Leveraging the Envision Framework for Sustainable Development: A/E/C Project Planning & Learning from an Environmental Planning Perspective

This forward-thinking workshop aims to explore the transformative impact of the Envision framework on environmental planning and the broader field of sustainable infrastructure development. Led by a seasoned environmental planner and academic, it will share insights into how sustainable development has evolved with the advent of comprehensive tools like Envision, emphasizing its role in integrating sustainability into the fabric of infrastructure projects. We will delve into the framework’s capacity to foster synergy among diverse disciplines such as engineering, architecture, and construction, highlighting the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of sustainability efforts. Drawing from my dual experiences in professional practice and education, the workshop will offer a personal perspective on how Envision and similar tools have facilitated a deeper understanding of sustainable development, both in the field and the classroom. This interactive session invites interdisciplinary development professionals to reflect on the past, navigate the present, and envision a sustainable future for infrastructure development.

Learning objectives:

1. Participants will gain an environmental planning approach to understanding the Envision framework, including its structure, sustainability criteria, and application processes for infrastructure projects.
2. Attendees will be able to understand and integrate core principles of sustainable development into project planning, ensuring that projects contribute positively to economic, social, and environmental objectives.
3. Acquire effective communication strategies for imparting knowledge of sustainable development and the Envision framework to diverse audiences, promoting broader understanding and implementation of sustainability practices.

Presenter Bio:

Dr. David B. Abraham is an expert on sustainable development planning and strategies, specializing in transportation planning and performance measurement. His research interests focus on developing sustainability strategies for the enhancement of living places. His research and professional experience includes: sustainable transportation planning; equity and well-being impacts from the built environment; resilience and revitalization community planning; and community performance metrics. He has also had experience with developing consensus building techniques for public participation/ community involvement support for the identification and delineation of planning objectives.

Dr. Abraham’s work has been featured at workshops, keynote agendas and conference proceedings throughout the US and internationally in Ireland, Barbados, Brazil, Canada and Portugal. He teaches in the Professional Science Masters Program at Rice University; and the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University.

Dr. Abraham currently leads the Office of Strategic Planning for the Harris County Toll Road Authority, where he is responsible for the Sustainability, Resilience and Equity in Transportation portfolios. He has served on the City of Houston Planning Commission and currently sits on the Urban Land Institute’s Planning Advisory Service Honorary Fellows (ULI-PASHA).