After publication new social value toolkit, UKGBC’s Simon McWhirter discusses the growing focus on social value in the industry and why it must be integrated throughout any built environment project
Social value is on the rise. The early stages of UKGBCs Social Value ProgrammeOne thing was clear from the beginning: the built environment industry needed to define social values that focussed on the effects that buildings, infrastructure, and places have on individuals.
While we found lots of good practice, what was lacking was a common language for practitioners and a logical and shared – process for delivering social value on built environment projects. UKGBC launched a yearly initiative to address this issue last year. Framework for Determining Social Value.
UKGBC and industry created a framework that defines social value for each individual project or location, as well a high level process and set principles for delivering the social value throughout the asset lifecycle. This helped to define social value in the built environment and how it can be delivered.
Understanding the importance and significance of social impacts on sustainability
The framework has gained more traction since its launch in Feb 2021 than we could have ever imagined or hoped for. The sector is showing continued momentum and there is a greater understanding of the importance social impacts for sustainability. This is evident not only in the large support we have received for our work, but also in the number of new guidance that has been published recently. These range from topics such measuring social value to embedding it in procurement, planning, and design.
The sector’s wealth of resources is both a blessing as well as a curse. Practitioners have an ever-growing library of guidance, but it is difficult to cut through the noise and find the right approach, method or toolkit for their project. UKGBC realized the importance of translating this guidance into a form that is most useful for project delivery. The industry needed clear guidance that was practical enough to be applied to all scales of built environment projects and yet detailed enough to include real-world experience from practitioners.
UKGBC’s new Guide to Delivering Social Value On Built Environment Projects
UKGBC has spent the past year working closely to our Social Value Partners in order to test UKGBC’s high level process for delivering real-world social value on live projects. This exercise has led to the development of a new delivery manual that brings together industry’s learnings and progress into one easily digestible toolkit.
The guide sets the scene by outlining a revised Process for Delivering Social Value, informed by feedback from UKGBC’s Social Value Programme Partners and member community. The remainder of the content is focused on project delivery and is divided into three main sections:
- Delivery checklistsA brief and concise to-do-list for project teams at every stage of the project.
- Guidance notesPractical guidance, examples and common errors to help practitioners deliver each step of the process.
- Case studies:Real-world experience with implementing social values strategies in the built environment. Sourced from the Social Value Programme Partners
Each project has its own unique process for delivering social benefit. This guide encourages flexibility to ensure that this is fully embraced. Based on their specific project needs and timeline, practitioners can choose the content most relevant to their practice. It is not designed to be read in order to be understood from one side to the other.
Looking ahead
The potential to reap a wide range of socio-economic and environmental benefits for society by prioritizing social value in our building projects is huge. The goal is to reduce economic inequality, combat climate change, improve health, and safety, as well as protect the most vulnerable from the rising cost of living.
UKGBC offers a simple, step-by-step process, checklists, and guidance notes to help industry understand that delivering social value for any built-environment project, no matter its stage, is possible. Our industry’s ultimate goal consists in improving the quality of the lives of people who are affected by their built environment. This is negligent at best, and will soon lead to irresponsibility and moral repercussions at worst.
With increasing interest from both government and business, ensuring positive outcomes for all projects is at the heart of the built environment industry’s purpose. We hope that the guidance and lessons learned from real-life experiences will help us to support this.
We hope to have an even greater impact by supporting local authorities and housing association to ensure that their assets meet the needs of the community. The report’s case studies show how local authorities can be an integral part of this space.
Nothing is more essential to ensuring that communities thrive. Building a just transition to net ZeroFor many generations to come.
Simon McWhirter
Director of communications, policy and places
UK Green Building Council
