If infrastructure planning were NASA, Envision LD3.3 is Mission Control.
It brings structure, clarity, and coordination to a world full of moving parts — helping planners, designers, and decision-makers launch projects that are not only technically sound, but aligned with long-term community and climate goals.
At Autocase, we’ve been helping infrastructure teams move from “checking boxes” to making better, evidence-backed decisions for over a decade. With the launch of Envision LD3.3, the industry now has a framework that speaks the same language — one that’s focused not just on what we build, but why and for whom.
🛰️ What Is Envision LD3.3?
Envision is a third-party framework developed by the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) to assess the sustainability and resilience of civil infrastructure projects.
LD3.3 is the newest version, offering a clearer, more rigorous way to evaluate projects across five categories:
- Quality of Life
- Leadership
- Resource Allocation
- Natural World
- Climate and Resilience
Each category contains credits scored on a scale from “Improved” to “Restorative.” But unlike earlier versions, LD3.3 raises the bar by asking teams to demonstrate measurable impact, not just effort.
In short, it shifts from “doing sustainable things” to proving that your project creates lasting value.
🆕 What’s New in LD3.3?
This version is a major evolution, not just a refresh. Here’s what stands out:
- Equity is integrated throughout: Projects must now consider underserved populations, community input, and workforce inclusion across multiple credits.
- Climate resilience is more rigorous: Teams must identify, quantify, and plan for long-term environmental stressors.
- Outcomes are front and center: LD3.3 puts an emphasis on performance metrics and impact, no more generic sustainability claims.
It’s a framework built for the world we’re living in now: high stakes, limited budgets, and increasing scrutiny from the public and funding agencies alike.
💰 Why This Matters
Public infrastructure is under pressure like never before. Big goals come with big expectations and even bigger price tags.
- The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) estimates a $3.7 trillion investment gap still remains over the next decade (ASCE Report Card, 2021).
- Since 1980, the U.S. has experienced over $2.2 trillion in climate and weather-related damages, with more than 60% occurring since 2005 (NOAA NCEI).
Envision LD3.3 helps teams make the case that their projects are worthy of investment, not just shovel-ready, but impact-ready.
📊 How Autocase Helps You Make LD3.3 Actionable
At Autocase, we build comprehensive economic business cases to support planning and design across all assets in buildings and infrastructure. This includes facilities/terminals; utility master plans; resilience/hazard mitigation investments; energy generation; transportation infrastructure; waste planning; water infrastructure; etc..
Here’s how we help:
✅ Triple Bottom Line (TBL) Cost-Benefit Analysis
We quantify environmental, social, and economic outcomes — from mitigated damages to critical assets, improved reliability/redundancy; passenger and employee health impacts, carbon and air pollutants, heat risk reduction, and water conservation, among others.
✅ LD3.3 Credit Targeting & Evaluation
We identify the highest-impact credits to pursue and help guide design or policy tweaks to achieve them.
✅ Funding Application Support
Need to justify ROI to secure funding? Our models back up your story with rigor and transparency.
✅ Stakeholder-Ready Visuals & Reporting
We turn your project’s value into clear, compelling outputs for boardrooms, public meetings, and grant reviewers.
🧭 Final Thought: Planning for the Long Haul
In infrastructure, the decisions we make today set the course for the next 30–50 years. That’s why frameworks like Envision LD3.3 and the tools to implement them effectively are so important.
Because in 2025, simply being “on time and on budget” doesn’t guarantee a project will earn public trust, unlock funding, or deliver long-term value.
With LD3.3 as your framework and Autocase as your partner, you can plan smarter, build better, and prove it.
