In most development projects, success is defined by visible outcomes. A road opens, homes are handed over, or a wind farm is connected to the grid. Once the fencing comes down, the project is considered complete.
But according to Evelien Brascamp, that view is incomplete.
“I think we still don’t pay enough attention to the social effects of projects,” she says. “We know a lot about planning, engineering and budgets, but much less about what a project actually does to people and communities.”
Evelien specialises in Social Impact Assessments (SIAs), working with organisations to better understand and address the social effects of development. Her focus is not only on analysing these impacts, but on making them visible and part of decision-making.
Because those effects do not start at completion. They begin as soon as plans are drawn up and decisions are made. While the topic is gaining traction internationally, it remains relatively underdeveloped in the Netherlands.
Evelien’s work in social impact grew out of her experience as a stakeholder manager across a wide range of projects. She has worked for both clients and contractors on wind farms, area development and major infrastructure schemes.
She valued the role, but felt something was missing.
“As a stakeholder manager, you often talk about public support, participation and residents’ concerns,” she says. “But in practice, there’s very little structured focus on what a project does to a community over the longer term.”
That gap stayed with her and ultimately shaped her specialisation.
The turning point came during a wind farm project, when she spoke with a farmer involved in the scheme.
“There had been a lot of tension, between farmers who had a turbine on their land and people in the village who mainly experienced the downsides. But also between farmers themselves. He told me that if he’d known ten years earlier what the consequences would be, he probably wouldn’t have taken part.”
It is a simple but telling reflection. Projects do not just create physical change, they reshape relationships, perceptions and communities. Yet in the Netherlands, there are still few tools to properly assess and discuss these impacts in advance.
Looking beyond the Netherlands, Evelien found that Social Impact Assessments are far more established internationally and, in some countries, mandatory.
In New Zealand and Finland, SIAs are embedded in environmental legislation. In countries such as Australia and the UK, there are clear frameworks for assessing and incorporating social impacts into decision-making.
“In the Netherlands, that’s still quite limited,” Evelien explains. “Social effects aren’t usually addressed explicitly. Stakeholder managers often recognise them and talk about them, but they’re not a formal part of decision-making.”
What makes social impact particularly important is its longevity. The effects of development often extend far beyond the project itself.
Evelien points to Schokland, a former island in the Zuiderzee that was evacuated in the nineteenth century due to flooding. Residents were forced to relocate, yet generations later, some descendants still feel a strong connection to the island, even though they never lived there.
“That shows how social effects can carry through generations,” she says.
Industrial development tells a similar story. In IJmuiden, the steelworks are deeply tied to the identity of the region. Generations of families have worked there and still feel a strong connection to the place and the industry.
“These projects don’t just pass through. They become part of a community’s story.”
To bring these effects into focus, Evelien works with Social Impact Assessments, structured studies that explore the potential social consequences of a project.
An SIA begins with understanding the local context, including the social fabric of an area and the vulnerability of different groups. This helps identify potential impacts early, before key decisions are fixed.
Those impacts are then assessed systematically, looking at factors such as duration, scale and severity.
“You look at how long an effect lasts, how many people it affects, and how serious it is,” Evelien explains. “By analysing and quantifying that, you can make a more informed judgement.”
It also changes the conversation within project teams.
“In many projects, discussions stay at the level of perception,” she says. “Everyone has a sense of what might happen. By analysing social effects systematically, you can have a more objective conversation much earlier on.”
Social impact is still often treated as an add-on, something that costs time and money. Evelien sees it as the opposite.
For developers and contractors, it helps identify risks earlier. For public authorities, it supports better, more transparent decision-making.
Ultimately, it is about how development is delivered.
“Development is necessary. We need energy, housing and infrastructure,” she says. “But we also need to understand what those projects mean for the people who live there.”
Alongside her project work, Evelien is also focused on raising awareness of social impact more broadly. In March 2026, she will host a workshop at the Verbindende Bouwers Event, a Dutch industry event organised by a group of organisations working in stakeholder engagement, including Publiq.
A key challenge, she notes, is that many professionals still lack a shared language to discuss social effects.
“I hope people start looking at their work through a different lens,” she says. “That they become more aware of these social effects.”
Because those effects run through the entire lifecycle of a project and often continue long after it has been signed off.