Can the social value of a project be measured? This is a question that is coming up more and more frequently in light of the upcoming ESG reporting obligation. The answer may lie in "Theory of Change," a design model developed by Arup.
As part of our #ReportThursday series, we present documents, reports and guides on architecture, cities and local government that are certainly worth publicizing and promoting. This week we look at the report "Social Value & Equity Theory of Change" published by Arup.
pillars of sustainable management
ESG - these are three letters that have been stirring up more and more excitement lately. Under this enigmatic acronym lies a sustainable management philosophy based on the co-occurrence of three elements - environmental protection, corporate governance and social value. In the context of sustainability, the first two have been finding an important place in the sustainability discussion for quite some time - the introduction of corporate governance is essential in the framework of operating in a market economy, while climate change and environmental degradation are becoming increasingly pressing issues that need to be tackled as soon as possible. Over the years, we are gaining more and more tools to achieve environmental and corporate governance goals, and methods of evaluating actions taken in this regard are also developed.
The situation is somewhat different with social aspects - they escape rigid categorization, are dynamic, and seem to be unmeasurable. Thus, in the case of architecture, the social aspect may appear problematic not only in the context of the design phase, but also due to the difficulties associated with evaluation in later phases of the implementation life cycle. Is it even possible to describe the social value of architecture with a finite set of values and variables? In light of the impending ESG reporting requirement, this question seems to be extremely important.
Arup report "Social Value & Equity Theory of Change"
© Arup
theory of change
The Arup report "Social Value & Equity Theory of Change," published in March this year, comes to the rescue. The authors of the report decided to create a holistic theory of social value in design to help build with social aspects. The result is a document that is useful not only in the design phase, but also helpful in evaluating and reporting on activities that support the social pillar of ESG by setting specific values and guidelines that correspond to the social aspects of projects.
The "Theory of Change" model developed by ARUP implies design based on a set of three interrelated elements - six outcomes , twelve leading outcomes (outputs) and four types of activities (inputs). Building based on the "Theory of Change" should begin with defining the final outcomes of the design decisions made. The authors and contributors distinguish in this category elements that can be understood as "inclusiveness and self-determination," "high standard of living," "cultural attachment and identity," or "climate resilience," among others.
Arup report "Social Value & Equity Theory of Change"
© Arup
In the "Theory of Change," each outcome consists of a pair of results of the design process, which can have dimensions of spatial interference or social, governmental or cultural initiative. Thus, for example, the aforementioned "cultural attachment and identity" can be achieved through the design of spaces that are co-created by the community and the promotion of initiatives related to local natural and cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible. Raising the "standard of living," on the other hand, can be helped by design that takes into account equal access to housing space and services such as electricity, clean water and transportation, but also by building public awareness and respecting laws regarding safety issues.
All of this can be achieved by putting into practice actions that the authors and developers define as tools and methods that can be applied both in the design phase and in the later phases of a building's life cycle. These included engagement, estimation, design and evaluation.
Arup report "Social Value & Equity Theory of Change" - Sustainable kindergarten in Dwabor (Ghana)
© Arup
two birds with one stone
The "Social Value & Equity Theory of Change" report notes the inadequate level of education and the lack of a methodology for socially conscious design and subsequent evaluation of socially conscious activities. Therefore, the document can be considered in two ways - on the one hand, to be useful as a guide pointing the way during the design process, and on the other hand, to serve as an example to help in the development of the ESG report, the submission of which will become an obligation for all business entities operating in the EU in the coming years, including those related to architecture and construction.
We invite you to read the report, which is available at the link.
