The link between economic value and the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure’s Envision^TM rating system is shown in the AutoCASE documentation. Information on the mapping between economic value and Envision can be found in the Business Case Evaluator documentation.

AutoCASE has been developed to enhance the Envision^TM rating system, adding the ability for the Envision^TM system to provide value-based and risk-adjusted analyses of infrastructure projects. To do this AutoCASE calculates the value (net societal benefit) accounting for risks to complement the Envision^TM rating system. Net benefits are allocated to the Envision categories.

“Economic factors are an essential component of sustainable infrastructure, along with environmental and social considerations. The business case for sustainable infrastructure goes beyond a return on investment: it also includes infrastructure effectiveness, costs, reliability, and livability. These factors contribute to how communities perceive these infrastructure projects which in turn has a real dollar value associated with it.”¹

Impact Infrastructure is a Charter Member of ISI. AutoCASE was developed with the ISI Economics Committee and provides a value-based and risk-adjusted analysis of stormwater infrastructure projects and maps these to Envision credits.

In AutoCASE’s results section Envision credit categories are in the Project Summary:

Figure 1: Envision^TM Credit Categories in AutoCASE

Figure 2: Economic Value Breakdown by Envision^TM Category

Below is an example of how AutoCASE maps into Envision^TM.

“Quality of Life addresses a project’s impact on surrounding communities, from the health and wellbeing of individuals to the wellbeing of the larger social fabric as a whole. These impacts may be physical, economic, or social. Quality of Life particularly focuses on assessing whether infrastructure projects are in line with community goals, incorporated into existing community networks, and will benefit the community long-term. For that purpose, community involvement should be sought by infrastructure owners. Community members (both users and non-users) affected by the project should be considered important stakeholders in the decision-making process (during design as well as during operations). The category is further divided into three subcategories: Purpose, Wellbeing, and Community.”²

A detailed mapping of AutoCASE value to Envision^TMcredits for this category is shown in the figure and table below:

Figure 3: Detailed Mapping from Economic Value to Envision^TM Quality of Life

1 http://www.sustainableinfrastructure.org/downloads/index.cfm Economic Companion Tools to Envision

2 Envision Version 2.0 A Rating System for Sustainable Infrastructure, The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure, 2012.