Tools

The Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency (CASBEE) for Cities helps to understand sustainability conditions of cities across environmental, social and economic aspects. It measures the sustainability of cities according to quality criteria against the environmental load of the city defined as CO2 emissions per capita per year. The resulting sustainability qualification supports cities in the development of effective sustainability measures. The CASBEE for Urban Development (CASBEE-UD) tool is a standalone version developed for the assessment of partial or whole groups of buildings on a smaller scale than CASBEE for Cities.

The Pearl Community Rating System (PCRS) promotes the development of sustainable communities and improved quality of life in Abu Dhabi. The tool encourages water, energy and waste minimization, local material use and improved supply chains for sustainable and recycled materials and products. The PCRS is applicable to developments that are multiple plot subdivisions, with a vehicular network and community facilities or amenities. The tool requires master plan teams to develop Pearl Rating targets and guidelines for all buildings within the community. Since May 2010 all new community developments in Abu Dhabi must at least achieve a “One Pearl” rating.

True is a rating system that assesses how well physical facilities and their operations perform in minimizing their non-hazardous, solid wastes and maximizing their efficiency in the use of resources. Furthermore, the tool supports facilities in defining, pursuing, and achieving their zero waste goals, cutting their carbon footprint, and supporting public health. To be certified, facilities must meet the seven minimum requirements and earn at least 31 out of 81 credits. Pre-certification and re-certification options are available.

The Urban Adaptation Support Tool (UAST) assist cities, towns and other local authorities in developing, implementing and monitoring climate change adaptation plans. The UAST was developed as a practical guidance for urban areas, in recognition of their importance in the European economy. The tool outlines six steps needed to develop and implement an adaptation strategy and makes references to valuable guidance materials and tools. Steps are divided into sub-steps with detailed guidance available. The UAST is not intended to produce a tailor-made climate adaptation strategy but rather intends to highlight key issues to be considered when adaptation strategies are developed.

The Vermont Transportation Resilience Planning Tool (TRPT) is a web-based application that helps integrate climate risk and transportation resiliency into Vermont’s Transportation System’s (VTrans) planning process. The TRPT combines river science, hydraulics and transportation planning methods to help VTrans understand the vulnerability of their transportation systems to impacts of climate change and extreme weather and identify and prioritize mitigation strategies for the impacts of future damages in the most critical, highest risk locations. Key features of the tool include a mapping service for viewing spatial datasets, graphical data for summary analyses, and tabular display of mitigation alternatives for at-risk transportation assets.

Greenroads is a rating system developed to measure and manage the sustainability of transportation projects. The rating system assesses sustainability across five core areas and twelve additional requirements for projects that want to be certified. This way, the tool aims to encourage the reduction of environmental impact and resource use of transportation projects as well as improvements in safety, mobility and access. There is a project checklist available that serves as a self-assessment to better understand green potentials of transportation projects.

The Sustainable Infrastructure Guidelines for Chinese International Contractors (SIG) are a voluntary guidance document developed by the China International Contractors Associations for Chinese enterprises engaged in infrastructure projects overseas to enhance sustainability performance across economic, social, environmental and governance aspects. The guidelines propose a broad set of sustainability indicators covering the entire life cycle from funding, planning, design, building, operation and maintenance to closure. The SIG may also serve as a tool for evaluation of sustainability on completed projects.

The Sustainability Bond Guidelines promote the integrity of the Sustainability Bond market through recommendations for transparency, disclosure, and reporting, outlining a clear process and disclosure for issuers, which investors, banks, underwriters, placement agents and others may use to understand the characteristics of any given Sustainability Bond. The evaluation of the use of proceeds represents the core of the Sustainability Bond Guidelines. They must exclusively apply to finance or re-finance a combination of both green and social projects. The Sustainability Bond Guidelines are based on a combination of the Green Bond Guidelines and the Social Bond Guidelines of the International Capital Market Association.

SuRe® – the Standard for Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure is a third-party verified, global voluntary standard to drive the integration of sustainability and resilience aspects into infrastructure development and upgrade projects by providing guidance. The tool also serves as a globally applicable common language tool for infrastructure project developers, financiers and public sector institutions. Infrastructure projects wishing to undergo SuRe® certification are subject to independent third-party audits provided by an independent accredited Certification Body. After initial certification, surveillance audits are carried out annually.

TREDIS is a transportation economics suite that helps transportation planners, and decision-makers calculate the economic impact, benefits and costs of proposed projects, programs and policies. The tool supports decision-making through economic impact analysis, cost-benefit analyses, financial analyses as well as freight and trade impact analyses. The software applies to passenger and freight transport via aviation, marine and rail modes, also including truck, car, bus, bicycle, and pedestrian travel, and can be used for deep analysis of a single project or simultaneous comparison of several projects. Impacts may be viewed at local, regional, state or national level.