Savannah’s Tide to Town Urban Trail System

At a Glance:

Location: Savannah, Georgia

Date: 2020

Vital Condition: Basic Needs for Health and Safety, Humane Housing, Meaningful Work and Wealth, Reliable Transportation

Determinants of Health: parks, affordable housing, transit system, healthcare access, food access, neighborhood safety, employment, noise, meaningful work and wealth, housing, active transportation

Affected Population: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, People Living in Poverty, People with Chronic and Multiple Chronic Health Conditions, People with Mental Health Conditions, Suburban communities

Research Methods: GIS mapping, Literature review

Community Types: urban

Click to expand map

Graduate students at Georgia Tech worked with Healthy Savannah to prepare a rapid HIA on the potential health and social impacts of the proposed Tide to Town trail, a 30-mile walking trail in Savannah. The HIA focused on three themes: residential displacement from flooding; connectivity and physical activity; and the relationship between housing, jobs, and social cohesion.

The HIA report recommended that trail developers identify and adapt to flooding vulnerabilities throughout the trail area, conduct a formal planning study to identify safe trail access points, shield users from highway noise, and continue to engage community stakeholders in the planning process.

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This Health Impact Assessment Report first appeared in The Cross-Sector Toolkit for Health. The Cross-Sector Toolkit for Health was originally developed by the Health Impact Project, formerly a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts. The creation of this resource was supported by a grant from the Health Impact Project. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Pew Charitable Trusts, or the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.