Advancing Social Equity in Sustainable Infrastructure: Help Shape the Future of Envision
25-August-2026
ISI and UQAM Launch Research Initiative to Inform Envision v4
The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) is partnering with researchers at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), in collaboration with the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE), on an important research initiative focused on advancing measurable social equity outcomes in infrastructure. The findings will directly support the development of Envision v4, the next evolution of the Envision Sustainable Infrastructure Framework, planned for release in 2028.
As infrastructure owners, planners, engineers, and communities place increasing emphasis on equity, inclusion, environmental justice, and reconciliation, a significant challenge remains: how do we measure equitable outcomes in a consistent, practical, and verifiable way?
This research seeks to help answer that question.
Why This Research Matters
Equity is increasingly recognized as an essential component of sustainable infrastructure. Yet most infrastructure frameworks, policies, and assessment systems rely heavily on narrative descriptions or qualitative guidance rather than measurable indicators. Current industry approaches often struggle to answer questions such as:
- • Who benefits from infrastructure investments?
- • Who bears the burdens and risks?
- • Whose voices influence decisions?
- • How can projects demonstrate equitable outcomes over time?
- • How should equity be considered across planning, procurement, construction, operations, and asset management?
The UQAM research team is developing an evidence-based framework that translates social equity concepts into measurable indicators that can be applied throughout the infrastructure lifecycle. The project is intended to help close an important gap identified by both ISI and infrastructure practitioners: the need for practical tools that allow equity outcomes to be evaluated alongside other sustainability outcomes.
Supporting the Future of Envision
A key objective of the research is to help inform future social equity content within Envision v4. The project is developing:
- • A comprehensive social equity indicator and metric library
- • Methods and guidance for applying equity assessments across the infrastructure lifecycle
- • International policy and standards mapping
- • Recommendations for future Envision v4 equity-related content and guidance
The research builds on a multidimensional understanding of equity that considers not only the distribution of benefits and burdens, but also recognition of diverse communities and meaningful participation in decision-making.
Current Status
The project team has completed an extensive review of academic literature, policy frameworks, industry guidance, and infrastructure practices. Building on this foundation, researchers have developed an initial library of proposed equity key performance indicators (KPIs) and supporting concepts for further evaluation.
The next step is gathering feedback from infrastructure practitioners, project teams, public agencies, consultants, researchers, and other stakeholders to validate and refine these proposed approaches.
Your expertise can help ensure that future equity indicators are:
- • Meaningful
- • Practical
- • Measurable
- • Applicable across diverse project types and jurisdictions
Three Core Equity Dimensions
These dimensions form the foundation of the proposed framework and address different aspects of equitable infrastructure outcomes.
- Redistribution
Focuses on whether infrastructure investments create equitable outcomes by ensuring benefits, opportunities, and investments are not concentrated among already advantaged populations while burdens are disproportionately borne by vulnerable communities.
- Recognition
Examines whether projects acknowledge and incorporate cultural identity, lived experience, historical context, and Indigenous knowledge into decision-making.
- Representation
Focuses on participation, influence, accountability, and governance. It considers whether communities have real opportunities to shape project decisions and outcomes.
Cross-Cutting Themes
Alongside the core equity framework, the research has identified six cross-cutting themes that may help strengthen how social equity is measured within infrastructure projects.
- Indigenous Equity
Explores measurable approaches related to Indigenous participation, procurement, economic reconciliation, consultation, consent processes, and workforce development. - Climate Vulnerability and Equity
Examines how climate risks and infrastructure resilience intersect with social vulnerability and community outcomes. - Procurement-Embedded Equity Mechanisms
Evaluates how procurement processes can be used to advance equitable outcomes through supplier diversity, community benefits, and related mechanisms. - Quantifiable Equity Outcome Metrics
Focuses on measurable outcomes such as workforce development, supplier participation, training, and public reporting. - Engagement Quality Standards
Explores how projects can measure the quality, timing, accessibility, and effectiveness of community engagement activities. - Workforce Representation Targets
Examines approaches for measuring workforce representation, leadership opportunities, retention, and progress toward equity goals.
Core Equity Dimensions, Cross-Cutting Themes and Key Performance Indicators Detail
Before completing the survey, we encourage participants to review the companion document or the detail document, which provide additional context on the proposed framework, themes, and KPIs:
Infrastructure Equity Research Survey Companion Guide
KPI Detail
How You Can Participate
ISI and UQAM are seeking input from infrastructure professionals, project teams, researchers, and practitioners with experience in planning, delivering, evaluating, or supporting infrastructure projects. We especially encourage participation from:
- • Infrastructure owners and operators
- • Municipal, provincial/state, and federal agencies
- • Engineers, planners, and designers
- • Consultants and contractors
- • Community engagement professionals
- • Researchers and academics
- • Sustainability practitioners
- • Individuals with experience implementing equity-related initiatives
Complete the Survey
Participants will be asked to review proposed social equity key performance indicators (KPIs) and provide feedback on their relevance, clarity, practicality, and potential application within infrastructure projects. The survey is designed to gather perspectives from a wide range of sectors, project types, geographies, and levels of experience.
Share Your Experience Through an Interview
At the end of the survey, participants will have the option to volunteer for a follow-up interview. While the survey will help identify broad trends and priorities, interviews provide an opportunity to explore selected themes in greater depth and better understand the experiences, insights, and perspectives behind survey responses.
These one-hour virtual interviews will focus on:
- • Recommendations for strengthening the proposed indicators and KPIs
- • Challenges and barriers to advancing equitable outcomes
- • Real-world implementation examples
- • Opportunities and successful practices
- • Experiences applying equity-related approaches and metrics
Interviews will be scheduled at the participant’s convenience. To ensure a broad range of perspectives, interview participants may be selected to reflect different geographic regions, infrastructure sectors, organization types, project types, and levels of experience with equity-related initiatives and sustainability frameworks.
All interview participation will remain strictly confidential. Individual participants and their organizations will not be identified in research findings, publications, or project materials without explicit permission.
Why Participate?
This research represents an opportunity to help shape the future of social equity in sustainable infrastructure. By sharing your knowledge and experience, you can help ensure that future approaches to measuring equitable outcomes are practical, meaningful, and grounded in real-world project experience. Insights gathered through the survey and interviews will help inform the ongoing development of social equity content and guidance for Envision v4.
Take the Survey
Your feedback will help ensure that future approaches to measuring social equity in infrastructure are grounded in real-world experience and practical application.
By participating, you can contribute directly to research that is helping inform the future evolution of Envision and the broader conversation around equitable infrastructure delivery.
Questions
For questions about the research initiative, survey, or participation opportunities, please contact:
