Social Risk and Opportunity in the Built Environment

The built environment—our cities, infrastructure, buildings and public spaces—profoundly shapes human experience. Yet, too often, decisions around its design, financing, delivery and maintenance neglect social risks and opportunities, leading to unintended harm and missed potential. With only 8.5% of infrastructure projects delivered on time and on budget, and many facing community pushback, placing people at the centre is not only a social imperative—it’s a financial and environmental one too.

The International Professional Certificate on Social Risk and Opportunity in the Built Environment offers professionals new perspectives and practical expertise in embedding human rights and social outcomes throughout the built environment lifecycle, including in the context of climate and environmental action. From land planning and worker protections to digital inclusion and the right to housing, participants will engage with real-world cases and strategies. 

The certificate intentionally bridges silos. It brings together people from different parts of the life cycle, recognising that no single actor can transform the future of the built environment but that all have roles to play. 

This certificate is delivered by the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB), in collaboration with leading practitioners. It is  supported by the Ove Arup Foundation and Ramboll Foundation.

This certificate is designed for leaders in the planning, financing, delivery and maintenance of the built environment, including:

• Urban planners and architects
• Infrastructure and real estate financiers and investors
• Public policymakers and regulators
• Engineers and construction professionals
• Human rights, ESG, and sustainability specialists
• Civil society and advocacy leaders, including human rights defenders

The course is particularly valuable for professionals working at the intersection of urban development, climate resilience, social justice, and inclusive growth.

The 2025 cohort took place between October and December, over 10 weeks, in a fully virtual format. More information and dates for the 2026 cohort will be announced soon.

The 2025 edition included 10 interconnected modules, each delivered in a 90-minute session. The topics were:

• Introduction to human rights and the built environment
• Leverage: roles, responsibilities, and accountability across the project lifecycle
• It begins with land: urban planning, acquisition, and ownership
• The right to meaningful participation: design with and for whom?
• Corruption, human rights, and climate action
• The building materials supply chain: risks and opportunities for people and the planet
• Construction workers' rights — on-site and throughout supply chains
• The right to adequate housing
• Pathways to just transitions in the built environment
• Technology: smart cities, digital rights, and non-discrimination

Each module integrates cross-cutting themes such as gender equity, stakeholder engagement, and practical frameworks like the Framework for Dignity in the Built Environment.

Course directors: Salil Tripathi and Annabel Short

Course faculty:

• Aditya Kumar, Architect and Activist, University of Cape Town
• Alexandra Bezeredi, Lead Social Development Specialist, Europe and Central Asia Region, World Bank
• Anita Ramasastry, Professor, University of Washington
• Christine Lunde Rasmussen, Head of Society Transformation, Ramboll Management Consulting
• Dan Hill, Director, Melbourne School of Design
• Elaine Mitchell-Hill, International Lead, Design for Freedom
• Ezra Christopher, Technical Programme Coordinator, Caribbean Community Climate Change Center
• Gillian Slovo, Novelist, Memoirist and Playwright
• Kenny Aderogba, Community Relations Officer, Spaces for Change, Lagos
• Ligia Guallpa, Executive Director, Workers Justice Project
• Luis Quintana, Executive Director, Todo Accesible
• Mahmood al-Wahaibi, Co-Founder and Partner, Oman Think Urban  
• Maria da Graça Prado, Lead Research and Policy Adviser, CoST – The Infrastructure Transparency Initiative
• Miloon Kothari, Professor, Geneva Graduate
• Nadia Cicek, Global Manager, Procurement, ESG Legal & Compliance
• Nick Killick, Independent Consultant; Research Fellow, Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB)
• Niels ten Oever, Representative, Data Future Labs
• Ore Fika, Senior Specialist in Urban Land and Housing Development, IHS (Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies)
• Reeaz Chutto, President of CMWEU (Construction, Metal, Wooden and Related Industries Employees Union), Mauritius
• Théo Jaekel, Lawyer Specialized in Business and Human Rights and International Law

• Practical skills in identifying and managing social risks and opportunities.
• Global perspectives from expert speakers, case studies, and peers.
• Leadership development grounded in the realities of infrastructure, equity, and human rights.
• Recognition through an IHRB-issued international professional certificate.

If you are interested in learning more about the programme and want to join the next cohort of changemakers working to ensure the built environment serves not just today’s economy—but the dignity and wellbeing of generations to come, click here to register your interest.