<aside> <img src="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/909be199-ec8b-4c38-9c0d-62f48dc78116/c9ac3b24-7f73-48b9-ae3f-5f8b69b0b467/Speech_bubble_orange.png" alt="https://prod-files-secure.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/909be199-ec8b-4c38-9c0d-62f48dc78116/c9ac3b24-7f73-48b9-ae3f-5f8b69b0b467/Speech_bubble_orange.png" width="40px" /> Various frameworks and methods exist to explore and communicate value(s), shape actions, and evaluate outcomes. In the infrastructure sector, these have been initially driven by environmental and sustainability concerns. However, approaches have recently expanded to address other critical challenges, incorporating perspectives related to health, wellbeing, social value, carbon emissions, biodiversity, equity, and inclusion. Some examples are given below.

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These approaches are addressing and often challenging conventional notions of value and values. By facilitating conversation, exchange, and collaboration across multiple sectors, they point towards a future where more expansive and interconnected perspectives may drive action.

While acknowledging the positive shifts represented by these examples, it is important to recognise the challenges they bring. Complexity and overload from overlapping missions, lenses, and associated conceptual frameworks can pose real challenges for both individuals and organisations.

An opportunity for the EWSC project will be to help different actors navigate this increasingly complex and fast-moving delivery environment and understand the place of water within it.

Cross-sectoral value frameworks:

• Sustainability and environmental assessment. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Sustainability Assessment (SA). have often been the main mechanism to think beyond specific technical or design scope. Often using multi-criteria analysis to consider wider outcomes. Some measures or actions may become enforceable, but these tend to focus on mitigating negative impacts. Positively promoting opportunities beyond mandatory actions of depends on a strong value case. Consultation Is currently out on a more streamlined process of Environmental Outcomes Reporting.
• Regenerative design is emerging rapidly as a powerful lens to thinking beyond sustainability to restore, protect and enhance ecosystems. It can be applied as a lens to explore creation of value (net gain) across multiple human and natural systems.
• Planning and Design Guidance Beyond the formal regulations enshrined in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) ****additional guidance is emerging such as the ****National Design Guide. Other examples of industry guidance relating to housing and development include work by The Future Homes Hub Task Force including the forthcoming Future Homes Standard 2025 and TCPA guidance for long-term stewardship models in housing. The RIBA Climate Guide is a recent example of water challenges and design principles being clearly addressed within an overall climate and sustainability narrative.
• Best practice certifications for projects: such as CEEQUAL, BREEAM, LEED, Well Building Standard. These are essentially voluntary. Sometimes they may also be a condition of a client or government contract that has chosen to apply them. Their application to a project maybe values = driven but may also often driven by a reputational or commercial value-case.

• Ethical and best-practice standards for organisations: Voluntary adoption of standards and certification such as ****BCorp, and GRI ****Sustainability Certification ****can shape a more values-driven business case.
• Social Value and Quality of Life. The UK Green Building Council Social Value Framework - is an example of a number of industry frameworks responding to a focus on Social Value as a lens following the 2012 Social Value Act. The Quality of Life Foundation Framework is being applied within the housing industry and alongside other frameworks such as the Thriving Places Index. There are strong overlaps between these frameworks and the health and wellbeing.
• Health and Wellbeing. This is an *important lens that is fast gaining traction within the built environment and infrastructure sectors. Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is increasingly required by individual Local Authorities as part of planning process. Like EIA and SA there is no fully standardised outcomes framework but NHS London Health Urban Development Unit (HUDU) have produced guidelines that are widely adopted. The Place Standard Tool developed by Public Health Scotland has been widely adopted and is increasingly being used also across England. Arup’s *Health Led Approach to infrastructure  has developed a health asset framework based on the wider determinants of health to facilitate place-based outcomes and investment. The concept One Health is a potentially powerful integrating conceptual model linking human health and wellbeing to principles of planetary health and ecological stewardship in line with the **EWSC Stewardship Principles.
• Resilience. There is increasing awareness of the importance of adaptive planning and infrastructure resilience. Local Resilience forums facilitate cross-sector collaboration. Frameworks such as the City Resilience Index and the City Water Resilience Approach are driving a whole-systems approaches including considering non-structural aspects such as finance, governance, behaviours and cultural dimensions.
• Rethinking economics and public value A number of approaches are challenging traditional economic assessment of place-based value and how these relate to shared values, and outcomes. As well as the multi-capitals approaches discussed below, these include These include Wellbeing Economy, ****Doughnut Economics, the work emerging from UCL's Institute for Innovation in Public Policy around ****Rethinking Public Value and work by CLES looking at Community-wealth building, Construction Innovation Hub Infrastructure Value Toolkit to enable 'value-based' decisions making.

Water-focussed value frameworks:

There are times when a water specific-lens is a logical and helpful entry point for addressing such challenges, especially when needing to understand interdependencies between water and other sectors such as housing and place-making.  Moves within the water and environment sector towards wider value creation and outcomes- led planning and design are helping to advocate for water and encourage integration between systems.