Upstream Public Health conducted this health impact assessment (HIA) of proposed state legislation designed to reduce car use and ultimately meet greenhouse gas emission targets to help curb global warming. The proposed legislation would provide funds to Oregon’s six Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) to design and implement vehicle miles traveled (VMT) plans using a variety […]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health conducted an HIA to determine facilitators and barriers of a proposed food procurement policy in Los Angeles County. The proposed policy would require food purchasers, distributors, and vendors of food service to meet specified nutrition standards, including […]

Between 2011 and 2014, the Oregon Health Authority Public Health Division conducted three health impact assessments (HIAs) on elements of Portland Metro’s Climate Smart Communities planning project. The Portland metro regional government requested the HIAs to ensure that decision-makers had access to public health evidence and best practices as they shaped and approved a greenhouse […]

The first-ever HIA on a major metropolitan transportation and comprehensive growth plan will be led by the Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development (CQGRD) at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s College of Architecture. Plan 2040—which is being conducted by the Atlanta Regional Commission, the local intergovernmental-coordination agency—integrates multiple aspects of regional planning, including transportation, […]

This HIA was a collaborative effort of the Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development (CQGRD), a research center of the Georgia Institute of Technology’s College of Architecture and staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Focused on the planning process for the Atlanta Beltline—a major public transit, trails, parks and urban-redevelopment project—the […]

The Florida Department of Health in Lee County conducted an HIA of community-driven alternatives to the county’s neighborhood connectivity plan for the Tice historic community. The HIA investigated the potential health implications of community connectivity and access to green space and schools in the plan. The report concluded that the plan stood to benefit the […]

In 2008, the City of Baltimore, Maryland launched a multiyear effort to comprehensively revise the city’s zoning code, which had not been updated for forty years. In order to help ensure that the revision considered the role zoning can play in creating healthier communities, a group of researchers at Johns Hopkins collaborated with the city […]

The Burlington District Office of the Vermont Department of Health conducted a rapid HIA of proposed street improvements on a 2.8-mile corridor of North Avenue in Burlington, Vermont. The HIA included a population health profile and a review of public transportation infrastructure and pedestrian, bike, and motorist facilities along the corridor. The proposed upgrades include […]

The city of Ann Arbor, Michigan, developed an Urban and Community Forest Management Plan using a street tree inventory that identifies 42,000 street trees and 8,000 stumps or planting sites. Canopy can reduce urban temperatures by 7 degrees Fahrenheit. More urban canopy cover will be critical as temperatures climb as a result of global warming. […]

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) and the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), conducted an HIA of three transit-oriented development projects—Mission Hill/Parcel 25, Bartlett Place/Nuestra Comunidad, and Madison Park/Tropical Foods—in Roxbury, Massachusetts. The HIA informed the projects’ development process and helped define the health metrics to […]

The Denver Environmental Health Department is conducting a health impact assessment (HIA) of the neighborhood plans for two North Denver neighborhoods: Globeville and Elyria Swansea. The neighborhood plans are currently being updated through a community engagement process. The HIA will make recommendations for neighborhood planning changes that can positively impact health in these communities with […]

The Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development (CQGRD), a research center of the Georgia Institute of Technology’s College of Architecture, conducted a comprehensive HIA on the site of a former Ford assembly plant. The location contained several contaminated industrial sites that were cleaned in preparation for the repurposing of this land. The 122-acre site, […]

Adams Park is a 68 acre greenspace in Omaha, Nebraska located right next to the Malcolm X birth site and two elementary schools.  The surrounding community is predominantly African American and experiences significant health disparities as well as diminished access to healthy, affordable food.  – This Health Impact Assessment Report first appeared in The Cross-Sector […]

Community Solutions, with Michael Singer Studio, conducted an HIA of the development of a revitalization and sustainability plan for Northeast, a neighborhood in Hartford, Connecticut. The HIA examined how changes to existing land use, utilities, housing conditions, open space, and access to transportation and healthy food could positively affect residents’ health, safety, and economic opportunities. […]

Memphis and Shelby County Office of Sustainability conducted an HIA as part of the Mid-South Regional Greenprint and Sustainability Plan, funded through a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant. The plan is a multifaceted, 25-year project with the goal of creating connected communities in the tri-state region where all […]

This HIA examined the potential health impacts of a proposal to build a new 14-mile light-rail line in Baltimore. Some of the pathways explored included access to safe outdoor activities, construction issues and air quality. HIA practitioners examined asthma, chronic lower respiratory disease, social cohesion, obesity, physical activity, bicycle and pedestrian risks, mental health, and […]

The Douglas County Health Department conducted an HIA on proposals considered in 2015 by the Omaha, Nebraska, City Council to adjust parking rates and increase the use of shared parking, instead of reserved. The project team examined parking efficiency, which includes the cost to build parking structures; potential heat island effects from increased pavement, and […]

EnviroHealth Consulting conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) of the City Of Denver’s Community Planning and Development Department local area plan for the proposed Central Park Boulevard commuter rail station. The HIA study area is a one and a half mile radius around the station, which includes the residential areas of Northeast Park Hill, North […]

Metro Council of greater Portland, Oregon, commissioned a health impact assessment to evaluate the potential health impacts and benefits of managing 200,000 tons per year of the Metro Region’s municipal solid waste through a waste-to-energy (WTE) facility versus a conventional landfill. In terms of impacts on environmental social determinants of health, such as air and […]

The San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) conducted an HIA to address a proposed policy in San Francisco that would charge a fee for driving in congested areas during AM/PM rush hours and use the revenue to support transportation infrastructure and services. The HIA analyzed potential health effects of two scenarios: city plans for […]

Between 2011 and 2014, the Oregon Health Authority Public Health Division conducted three health impact assessments (HIAs) on elements of Portland Metro’s Climate Smart Communities planning project. The Portland metro regional government requested the HIAs to ensure that decision-makers had access to public health evidence and best practices as they shaped and approved a greenhouse […]

The University of California, Los Angeles School of Public Health, in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, conducted an HIA to assess the potential health effects of a proposed subway and other mass-transit alternatives through Los Angeles’ high-density, highly congested Wilshire Corridor, running from mid-town Los Angeles to the city of […]

An HIA to assess potential health outcomes associated with introducing bus rapid transit to the 47th Street Trolley Station near Interstate 805 in San Diego. The assessment focused on several health determinants including transportation, housing, access to goods and services, and environmental quality. – This Health Impact Assessment Report first appeared in The Cross-Sector Toolkit […]