What is the Technical Assistance Program (TAP)?
TAP was created to provide infrastructure owners from small and/or economically-distressed communities with better access to resources for guiding more sustainable projects. This includes access to ISI’s own education and training resources, as well as to its network of academic subject matter experts (SMEs) who can provide additional guidance and support. Through this program, participants will collaboratively engage in evaluating practical solutions to complex issues related to sustainability, resilience, and equity using ISI’s Envision Sustainable Infrastructure Framework.
ISI was inspired to formally design and pilot the TAP program after working with a project team in Ethiopia, who registered the first project in Africa to begin applying the Envision framework. The unique experience of working with this project team led ISI to recognize the need to reduce barriers to access and provide greater support for using Envision in economically distressed areas.
The goals of this program include developing new pathways for equitable access to verification resources, applying principles of sustainability to projects facing real-world challenges, and providing practical experience through which lessons can be learned for future projects.
TAP participants will benefit from:
TAP operates on one-year cycles aligned with the traditional academic calendar. Participants are selected during the summer and work together from fall through to spring. However, participants may choose to continue working together beyond the formal conclusion of the program cycle as they have established connections and built collaborative momentum.
What is Envision?
The Envision Sustainable Infrastructure Framework is a comprehensive tool developed by ISI to help infrastructure professionals plan, design, and deliver more sustainable infrastructure projects of all types and sizes. The Envision framework is a decision-making tool that allows infrastructure owners, engineers, designers, architects, planners, contractors, and other stakeholders to evaluate projects across a broad range of sustainability indicators, or “credits,” that address environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability to encourage systemic change. At its core, Envision is about supporting higher performance through better choices in infrastructure development. Read more about Envision.
TAP Project Participants
Gaffat Community Preschool Project (Debre Tabor, Ethiopia, Africa)
Owner: Early Childhood Education Ethiopia (ECEE)
Description: This early childhood education project, sponsored and led by Early Childhood Education Ethiopia (ECEE), is the first in a series of planned preschool projects in the region. Driven by a clear mission to meet the educational needs of rural communities throughout Ethiopia, ECEE is committed to prioritizing, advancing, and expanding early learning programs on a significant scale while embracing sustainability as a core principle, from the initial design and planning to the use of locally-sourced materials and sustainable construction methods. This project consists of six community classrooms following a Gojo Bet design – a traditional circular housing structure commonly used in Ethiopia and throughout Africa. These structures will accommodate regular classrooms, as well as a library, an art room, and a science lab, and they will open to an outdoor eating area, equipped with a fully functional kitchen. The project design also includes an open play area that progressively expands to offer increasingly complex play opportunities, aligned with the students’ varying developmental needs.
Chala Sustainability Agribusiness Pilot Project (Kenya, East Africa)
Owner: Miundo Misingi Hub
Description: This water infrastructure project aims to improve irrigation and food production challenges in arid and semi-arid areas of Kenya. It is owned and led by Miundo Misingi Hub, a public-private partnership infrastructure finance and advisory firm based in Kenya whose vision is to develop and implement innovative and sustainable infrastructure solutions that can be replicated across Africa.
Konza Technopolis Project (Konza, Kenya, East Africa)
Owner: Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KoTDA)
Description: This project consists of several infrastructure projects aimed at improving quality of life and economic prosperity in Kenya. It is a flagship project of Kenya’s Vision 2030 Economic Development Portfolio aimed to create a world-class smart city. This project is owned and led by Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KoTDA).
Granabastos Community Campus (Soledad, Colombia)
Owner: Granabastos
Engineering Focus: Civil/Site
Description: Granabastos, a major fresh food market and distribution center for the Caribbean coast of Colombia, is committed to sustainability and community development through impactful environmental and social initiatives. Through its “Good Neighbor” program, Granabastos provides support such as vocational training, youth development activities, and food assistance — helping to build social cohesion and create opportunities targeting economically distressed communities. This project consists of a community campus to foster social inclusion, education, and opportunity for children, youth, and families. The center will also provide spaces for technical and vocational training, cultural and recreational activities, and community support programs that strengthen local resilience and improve the quality of life. The proposed community campus plans to generate much of its energy from solar power, reduce food waste through donation or composting, and incorporate efficient water management and treatment systems.
Academic Support Lead:
Svetoslava Todorova, PhD, BCEEM, ENV SP
Environmental Engineering Program Director
Civil & Environmental Engineering Department
Syracuse University
Simulunda-Sindowe Pedestrian Bridge (Zimba District, Southern Province, Zambia)
Owner: Chiefdoms of Sipantunyana and Simwatachela
Engineering Focus: Structural Bridge Design, Civil/Site
Description: The Simulunda-Sindowe Pedestrian Bridge project connects two villages on either side of the Kolomo River in Zambia. Many residents of these communities have been displaced from other parts of the country, and nearly all of them are subsistence farmers. This bridge project, started by the communities in partnership with Engineers Without Borders, will provide improved and safer access to markets, schools, medical clinics, and more. The project team is designing the bridge so that it can be constructed and maintained in a sustainable manner that considers the culture and financial capacity of the community, as well as the potential impacts of climate change.
Academic Support Lead:
Libby Jones, PhD, ENV SP
Professor & Assoc. Chair for Undergraduate Programs
Civil & Environmental Engineering
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Rehabilitation and Improvement of Railway Infrastructure for the La Dorada–Chiriguaná Railway Corridor (Colombia)
Owner: National Infrastructure Agency (ANI)
Engineering Focus: Transportation, Flood Control, Structural, Civil/Site
Description: The La Dorada–Chiriguaná Railway Corridor is a strategic Public-Private Partnership (PPP) led by Colombia’s National Infrastructure Agency (ANI), with the support of the National Development Finance Agency (FDN). This project is key to modernizing freight transport in Colombia, enhancing logistics efficiency, sustainability, and the resilience of the national transportation system. Designed to reduce freight transport costs by up to 20% and to enhance integration with road, river, port, and airport transport modes, it involves the financing, design, rehabilitation, improvement, operation, and maintenance of railway and logistics infrastructure along a 526 km-corridor between the municipalities of La Dorada (Caldas) and Chiriguaná (Cesar), crossing 25 municipalities in five departments. The project demonstrates a strong commitment to environmental sustainability and social equity through a set of strategic and measurable actions. Key environmental commitments include reducing CO₂ emissions by 37,000 tons annually, implementing a reforestation plan with at least 5,000 trees, and developing climate adaptation measures aimed at preventing flooding along the railway corridor. Additional efforts include local wildlife protection programs, promotion of integrated disaster risk management, efficient use of renewable natural resources, pollution control, and material recycling throughout all phases of the project.
Academic Support Lead:
David Abraham, PhD, ENV SP
American Planning Association (APA) Regional Sustainability Representative
Urban Land Institute Panel Advisory Services Honorary Association Member
Sr. Fellow, American Leadership Forum Class XXXV
Rice University
Rubidoux’s Water and Education Community Center (Rubidoux, California, USA)
Owner: Rubidoux Community Services District
Engineering Focus: Water Treatment, Civil/Site, Energy Production
Description: The Rubidoux District is fully dependent on groundwater to source its potable water supply, and it currently faces numerous challenges with the existing groundwater quality. To address these challenges and improve quality of life in the Rubidoux community, the district is developing a preliminary design proposal, that incorporates Envision, for a reverse osmosis (R.O.) water treatment facility. Key objectives include optimizing economic, social, and environmental benefits for the community; providing education about the importance of clean drinking water; allocating recreational space for community gatherings; and incorporating solar energy to offset power costs.
Academic Support Lead:
Monica Palomo, PhD, PE, BCEE, ENV SP, F.ASCE
Faculty Advisor for Capstone Team
Cal Poly Pomona
Rehabilitation of Santa Isabel Wastewater Treatment Plant (Puerto Rico)
Owner: Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA)
Engineering Focus: Water Treatment, Upgrade Works
Description: This project will improve overall quality of life for the residents of the municipalities of Santa Isabel and Coamo by enhancing environmental water quality with improved wastewater management facilities. It will also support local agriculture through the production of compost from dewatered sludge. The production of the sludge compost will reduce landfill usage, extend landfill lifespans, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and the sale of the compost will generate local employment and provide a new revenue stream for PRASA.
Academic Support Lead:
Rebekah Oulton, PhD, PE, ENV SP, LEED AP
Associate Professor & Graduate Program Coordinator
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Academic Support
Participating academic professionals provide subject matter expertise and mentorship to TAP project teams, while simultaneously incorporating the goals and objectives of TAP into the learning outcomes for their students. This relationship provides project teams with an additional resource for guidance, and students with an opportunity to gain experience applying sustainability principles to actual projects in small and/or economically-distressed communities.
TAP Testimonials
“We believe this is great opportunity to further the relationship between ISI and the sustainability community in Kenya by adopting a common language and understanding of sustainability for infrastructure projects through Envision. There’s also an opportunity here to provide leadership for future infrastructure projects not only in Kenya but also across the region on how they can integrate equity, sustainability, and resilience in the planning, design, construction, and operation of infrastructure projects.”
– John Kabuye Kalungi, ENV SP, ESG and Sustainability Partner, Miundo Misingi Hub
“My students and I are excited about the opportunity to work with the international partners in the program, contributing our technical expertise to improve sustainable engineering practices in their communities. We look forward to the mutual learning that will arise from this partnership.”
– Svetoslava Todorova, PHD, MPA, BCEEM, ENV SP, Professor of Practice, Civil & Environmental Engineering Department at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York
Get Involved
If you’re interested in getting involved – either as an academic supporter or as a project team – let us know by filling out the form below, and we will follow up with you during the next recruitment period.
More Information
Click here to contact us with any questions or to request more information about ISI’s Technical Assistance Program.
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