Social impact consulting

We can impact the built environment at many scales, whether it be cities, masterplans, individual buildings, or supply chains and systems. We carefully consider how these intersect with other facets of holistic sustainability to deliver long-term success.

A well planned, well integrated, and well executed social impact strategy builds trust within partnerships and in governance, delivers cost and time savings, creates and attracts new revenue streams, generates higher returns and value retention, and creates lasting positive legacies.

International standardisation of social impact legalisation has been incorporated into the global sustainability agenda. For example the Sustainable Financial Disclosure Regulations (SFDR), and the reflect social impact鈥檚 growing importance.

Through our work with 海角视频, we have found that a strong ESG strategy makes our places much more attractive. Is this the right thing to do? Absolutely. Does it also make business sense? Yes it does.鈥�
UK Developer

Our services include:

People can be positively impacted for different scales, contexts, and clients. Our services vary – some are standard practice in the markets in which we operate. We are also often asked to develop bespoke deliverables for specific needs and contexts due to the market鈥檚 emergent nature. If you do not see what you require here, please contact us.

Social impact strategy (project / portfolio)
Flourishing index and playbook
Community engagement
Social housing decarbonisation
Community prosperity framework
Sustainable and equitable placemaking framework
Embodied / supply chain social impact assessment
Well building / well communities assessment
Health impact assessment
Socioeconomic assessment

Interior shot of the refurbished David Attenborough Building at the University of Cambridge, in which a student walks beside a biodiverse, living wall of greenery.

Climate vulnerability assessment
Environmental justice assessment
Green economy / just transition assessment
City-wide social housing portfolio decarbonisation
Health impacts of retrofit assessment

The S in ESG

Corporate social impact strategy
Social impact policy
Social impact acquisition advisory
Social impact data collection and management
Social value return on investment (SROI) forecast and assessment

OUR APPROACH

Our approach to social impact consulting is technically rigorous and tailored to project context, helping clients arrive at best decisions.

We integrate with other workstreams to deliver multiple befits for multiple beneficiaries. Technical rigour enables effective and continuous evaluation. Above all, our holistic approach to the built environment engenders social and economic benefits. Our social value consultancy supports clients in delivering sustainable, healthy and thriving urban communities.

海角视频鈥檚 approach to Social Impact Consulting helps our clients arrive at best decisions.

海角视频鈥檚 social value consultancy experts are globally respected and have co-authored industry best practice.

Our multidisciplinary team includes architects, economists, engineers, social scientists, and urban planners. We adopt integrated thinking from professional practice, legislation, academic research and national/international standards to inform our work.

Our approach is aligned to the UKGBC鈥檚 framework for delivering Social Value, co-authored by 海角视频. Image: UKGBC

Our clients

Development partners/ investors

We advise on social impact and the 鈥楽鈥� in ESG across corporate policy, portfolio-wide frameworks, and individual developments.

We help clients create inclusive, healthy, vital places that leave a positive legacy for environments and communities.

Estates and campuses

Sector-specific campuses (universities, science parks, sports clubs, retailers, etc) want to understand how emerging policy may affect and optimise their estate.

We can help create safe, healthy places that have a positive impact on existing users and surrounding communities. This helps to ensure resilience in operation and create competitive advantages.

Public sector

We advise regional and city authorities embed just transition principles into policies, strategies, and partnership agreements.

Our work helps clients build climate resilience, improve equity, improve public health, and create economic opportunities.

Third sector

We collaborate across a broad range of advocacy groups to define emerging areas and articulate industry best practice responses.

We help to create impactful and applicable policies and design guides with input from the communities that will be impacted by them.

Experience

Visual representation of the Brent Cross Town buildings and park.

Brent Cross Town Flourishing Index

We are undertaking one of the UK鈥檚 most comprehensive and scientific studies into the impact of urban regeneration on local health and wellbeing alongside The University of Manchester in London. After our client, Related Argent, pledged to create 鈥榓 town where all could flourish鈥� we helped to define what that meant by working with existing communities. The resulting and ongoing work has informed decision-making and attracted tenants and ESG finance.

Environmental Justice Report and Web Portal

This comprehensive, 200+ page study of environmental inequities lays the foundation for the next step of the EJNYC initiative, which is the development of a comprehensive citywide environmental justice plan, the EJNYC Plan. The EJNYC Report鈥檚 findings have provided NYC leaders with the basis for identifying opportunities to advance environmental justice across the five boroughs. It is accompanied by a web-based interactive mapping tool that enables ongoing advocacy and environmental justice action led by ordinary citizens as well as policymakers.

Landscape rendering of the three estates in Canning Town being redeveloped as part of a major regeneration project.

Canning Town Estates Regeneration

The client鈥檚 vision is to create an equitable, carbon neutral development in London that enhances the environment and enables community flourishing and safety. We deployed our bespoke framework to score the existing site鈥檚 scores in themes including social value, wellbeing, safety, ecology, transport, and inclusive design. The prospective designs were then evaluated and optimised to deliver an uplift of 45-60%.

Image of the terrace area with seating and trees of the major renewal of the Barbican Centre.

Barbican Community Prosperity Framework

This exercise was developed to support the brief development and initial design strategy for the Barbican鈥檚 Renewal Programme in London. It outlines a highly progressive and holistic approach to sustainable design and urbanism, defining how the project can provide the community with resilient access to the means to live a flourishing life.

C40 Clean Construction Programme

海角视频 and C40 Cities have launched a series of six reports, each investigating a specific city. Clean Construction means creating a net zero carbon built environment system that tackles the global negative impacts of the construction sector in a just way. The reports unpack how construction works in each city and provides local, actionable advice to help governments and municipal leaders make the case for clean construction. These recommendations highlight the broader social benefits clean construction brings to both the local community and within a global context.

Los Angeles County Climate Vulnerability Assessment (CVA)

With the County of Los Angeles Climate Vulnerability Assessment (CVA), 海角视频 led a team to proactively identify the people, places, and systems most vulnerable to escalating climate change impacts. We were 鈥榯hought partners鈥� with the County in creating a new approach to assessing vulnerability.

This comprehensive study assessed the populations that are vulnerable due to factors such as age, income level, or pre-existing health conditions, as well as hazards to the physical infrastructure and the cascading impacts that occur when these infrastructure systems are disrupted.

海角视频

Advisory

Sustainability and energy transition

Smart places, digital and data

Security and risk advisory

Strategy and operating model design

Asset optimisation and commercial advisory

Urban and regional development

Programme advisory

Climate change adaptation and resilience

Energy consulting

ESG advisory

Net zero carbon buildings

Building retrofit

Sustainability

Bridge engineering and civil structures

Digital twins

Economics

Environmental input to masterplans

Infrastructure

Stranded assets

Strategic planning

Resilient infrastructure, built assets and natural environments

Transport and mobility

Water

Waste management consulting

Urban analytics

Building services engineering (MEP)

Facade engineering

Fire engineering

Ground engineering

Coastal engineering

Structural engineering

Tall buildings

Tensile structures

Timber engineering

Acoustics

Asset consultancy

Fire engineering

Health, wellbeing and productivity

Heritage buildings

Inclusive environments

Laboratory consultancy

Lighting design

Security and public safety consulting