Number 5 in our TBL-CBA traps series. 5. Asking “Are We Doing the Right Project?” but Forgetting “Are We Doing the Project Right?” Once the project has been greenlighted, a million and one design decisions remain to be made by engineers, architects,...
Economics
TBL-CBA Traps #4: Letting the Loudest Voice Win
Number 4 in our TBL-CBA traps series. 4. Letting the Loudest Voice Win While the TBL-CBA analysis often points out trade-offs between people, planet and profits and highlights distributional effects across affected stakeholder groups, don’t fall into the trap of...
TBL-CBA Trap #3: Double Counting
Number 3 in our TBL-CBA traps series. 3. Double Counting By avoiding the trap of being too narrow, people often fall into this trap. In particular, benefits are more likely to be double counted than costs. Take, for example an infrastructure or building project that...
TBL-CBA Trap #2: Forgetting Certain (Increasingly Vocal) Stakeholders
Number 2 in our series of TBL-CBA traps. 2. Forgetting Certain (Increasingly Vocal) Stakeholders When conducting a Triple Bottom Line – Cost Benefit Analysis (TBL-CBA), a common trap is thinking too narrowly about the project. By definition, a triple bottom line...
TBL-CBA Trap #1: Re-Inventing the Wheel
Before we created the Autocase family of TBL-CBA software, our team of economists, along with engineers and architects conducted numerous custom assessments as consultants. Our collective knowledge is now reflected in Autocase, but, we have to admit, there were some...
Deciding whether to put a cap on the LID?
The City of Phoenix wanted to weigh up the broader costs and benefits of implementing various Low Impact Development (LID) features across the city to help inform capital planning going forward. To do this, they enlisted the help of Stantec, Autocase, and Watershed...
Applying a Sustainability Lens to the Value of Infrastructure
How should engineers and builders get involved in their client's evaluation of sustainable design alternatives? With a range of approaches to consider, how can the lifetime value be measured in a way that helps prioritize options, justify choices and...
Credit Rating Agencies are Connecting the Dots Between Credit Risk and Municipal Resiliency
Back in 2015, it came to our attention that Moody’s had evaluated the effect of flood reduction efforts on municipal debt levels and tax bases in Virginia’s Hampton Roads metropolitan region. Moody's Investors Service noted that “Coastal cities in southeastern...
Cost-Justifying Green Buildings to Skeptics – GreenBuild 2017
One of the most highly-attended sessions at GreenBuild 2017, entitled "Cost-Justifying Green Buildings to Skeptics", was moderated by Emma Stewart, USGBC Director and Chair of the Advisory Council, with presentations by Anthony Bernheim of The Allen Group, LLC, ...
Envision v3 – Our Comments
The Institute of Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) is seeking feedback on the draft credits in its latest version of the Envision sustainable infrastructure framework, known as Envision v3. Here's some ... In the Leadership credit category, for Credit LD3.3 – Conduct a...
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