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Showing 347 results for urban
Urban Forest Canopy as a Climate/Health Adaptation
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. […]
North Yahara Future Urban Development Area
In fall 2011, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded the Wisconsin Capital Region a $2 million, three-year Sustainable Community Regional Planning Grant (SCRPG), with the Capital Area Regional Planning Commission (CARPC) serving as the lead agency. Recognizing that regional challenges —healthy environment, mobility, economic opportunities for all, and quality of life— […]
Mid-Michigan Regional Urban and Rural Services Management Policy
In 2005, 48 jurisdictions in central Michigan adopted a regional growth plan that encouraged cooperation, such as joint planning and shared services, including policing, fire protection, and tax assessments, to maximize revenue and ensure the sustainability of public services. As part of these efforts, the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission developed a regional urban and rural […]
Housing and Urban Development Designated Housing Rule Update
The Health Impact Project, in partnership with the Oregon Public Health Institute and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, conducted an HIA to inform an update by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) of its designated housing rule, which allows housing authorities to allocate certain public housing properties, or a portion of them, […]
Urban Agriculture Overlay District
This HIA analyzed the potential health effects of implementing an Urban Agriculture overlay district, which would introduce intense farm uses such as livestock, community gardens, hoop houses, market gardens, and community gardens, in Cleveland. The HIA found that many of the proposed uses that this zoning district allows can benefit health, including access to fresh […]
St. Paul Emerald Ash Borer Policy
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, or MPCA, conducted an HIA on St. Paul’s efforts to address the threat posed by the emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle destroying Minnesota’s 930 million ash trees. Research shows strong links between tree cover and a range of health impacts. Trees filter pollutants and improve air quality, lowering rates […]
Making Nature Accessible in Urban Areas: Glendale Forest Park
This health impact assessment aims to explore how Glendale Forest Park might impact the community’s health, either positively or negatively, and make recommendations for how the park could promote positive health impacts and reduce adverse effects. – The creation of this HIA Report was supported by a grant from the Health Impact Project. The views […]
Lawrence Green Streets Program
In 2016, a group of Massachusetts planners, public health professionals, and members of the American Planning Association partnered with Groundwork Lawrence on a health impact assessment (HIA) framework to measure the economic, social, and environmental impacts of planting street trees in the Arlington and South Common neighborhoods in Lawrence, Massachusetts, a city with a nearly […]
Merced County General Plan Update
Two options for the county’s General Plan Update were being considered: one that focused development in existing urban areas and another that would allow for the creation of new towns in the county. Some of the pathways and health issues explored included access to retail and services, preservation of agricultural land, community safety, water quality […]
Humboldt County General Plan Update
The HIA addressed an update of the Humboldt County General Plan. Three growth alternatives to accommodate future population were being considered in the General Plan Update (GPU): 1) denser development in urban areas; 2) some growth to exurban areas; and 3) unrestricted growth throughout the county. Pathways and health issues explored included comments on six […]
Savannah’s Tide to Town Urban Trail System
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 […]
Gateway Gold Line Bus Rapid Transit: A Closer Look at Health and Land Use
The Washington County Departments of Public Works and Public Health and Environment, in collaboration with the Gateway Corridor Commission, conducted an HIA to examine the potential health impacts of possible land-use changes around the Gold Line Bus Rapid Transit corridor and to inform comprehensive planning of station areas in five cities—Saint Paul, Maplewood, Oakdale, Landfall, […]
Tempe Modern Streetcar
The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), in partnership with Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH) formed a multidisciplinary team to work on the Health Impact Assessment (HIA) project funded by Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO). The HIA team consisted of eight leaders representing ADHS, MCDPH, Arizona Department of Transportation, Arizona […]
Androscoggin Greenway Plan
This HIA, conducted by the Maine Network of Healthy Communities, was designed to assist a land trust and affiliated communities with prioritizing several proposed trails in an urban setting. In the 1990s, the Androscoggin Land Trust and the National Park Service’s River and Trails Program developed the Androscoggin River Corridor Greenway Plan. This HIA assessed […]
Atlanta Beltline
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 […]
College Park/University of Maryland Metro and MARC Station TDDP/TDOZ
HIAs are mandated for new development projects in Prince George’s County, Maryland (County Bill CB-41-2011). This legislation builds health into policies, provides a tool to reduce the incidence of preventable diseases and injuries, and requests that the county Planning Board refer site plans at specific stages to the county Health Department for HIA review. The […]
Mid-Michigan Fair and Affordable Housing Plan
This health impact assessment will inform the development of a five-year fair and affordable housing plan by incorporating potential health impacts, social equity, and environmental justice into future housing policies The plan will also incorporate findings of an affordable housing study being conducted by Michigan State University. FAHP’s planning process serves as the framework for a community-wide […]
Ohio Housing Inspections
The Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA), in collaboration with The Ohio State University College of Public Health, conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) to inform decisions on a proposal to improve interagency coordination and streamline the current system for housing inspections on affordable housing units. At present, different inspections are conducted or required by local […]
Massachusetts Proposed Expungement Bill
This rapid health impact assessment (RHIA) evaluated the mental health effects of Massachusetts bill S. 900, which proposed to require that the state expunge criminal records for individuals who committed their offenses before the age of 21. Students in the healthy cities course in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute […]
HOPE VI to HOPE SF: San Francisco Public Housing Redevelopment
The HIA provided a retrospective analysis of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD’s) HOPE VI efforts to rebuild two affordable housing projects in San Francisco, California. The goal of the HIA was to highlight health impacts of redevelopment of public housing more generally by building capacity to conduct HIAs and informing the […]
Just Cause for Eviction
This Rapid Health Impact Assessment (RHIA) evaluated the potential health impacts on renters of Boston’s proposed Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance, which would require landlords to have a “just cause,” including any violation of the lease terms, before evicting tenants. A group of students in the Healthy Cities course in the Department of Urban Studies […]
Alachua County Transportation Access to Healthy Food Sources
The University of Florida Department of Urban and Regional Planning, in partnership with the Florida Department of Health, conducted a rapid health impact assessment of proposed changes to built environment and transportation access in the Tower Triangle area of the city of Gainesville, in Alachua County, Florida. The HIA focused on how these proposed changes […]
Sycamore Light Rail Station
The Sycamore Light Rail Station Health Impact Assessment is underway Mesa, Arizona. Sycamore Station—literally the east end of the light rail system—is the proposed location for 300 units of new affordable housing. The project is moving through the review process and funding is dependent on affordable housing tax credits. It is one of the first TOD […]
The Long Road Home: Decreasing Barriers to Public Housing for People With Criminal Records
Historically, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development policies have exposed people with a criminal history and their families to eviction and denial of housing. Human Impact Partners, in collaboration with the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, conducted an HIA that assessed the health and equity impacts of public housing screening policies that exclude […]
Michigan Street Corridor Plan: A Health Impact Assessment
In March 2012, project partners received funding from the Michigan Department of Community Health Division of Environmental Health to conduct a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) of alternative development scenarios in the Michigan Street Corridor. The project is part of a larger effort funded by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority and the U.S. Department of […]
Oregon Vehicle Miles Traveled Legislation
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 […]
Food Deserts in Tennessee-HIA of SB 1176
The Prevention Research Center in St. Louis, in partnership with the Tennessee Obesity Taskforce, conducted a rapid HIA of Tennessee Senate Bill 1176, the Tennessee Food Desert Relief Act which was introduced during the 2012 legislative session. The bill would authorize the use of revenue bonds and loans to develop property into food desert relief […]
Hartford Neighborhood Revitalization and Sustainability Plan
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. […]
South Billings Master Plan
The City of Billings, Montana, in conjunction with consultant firm AECOM, has created a 20-year master plan for the South Billings Boulevard Urban Renewal District (SBBURD). The South Billings Master Plan provides a set of goals that will guide land use, transportation development, community design, and capital improvements through 2032. The goal of the proposed […]
Hermosa Beach Oil Production Project
The city of Hermosa Beach, California, completed an HIA and environmental impact report on an oil production project proposed by E&B Natural Resources. The company sought to build a 1.3-acre urban drilling site at Sixth Street and Valley Drive for exploration and directional drilling to extract oil and gas from offshore and onshore tidelands and […]
Transportation Policy Recommendations in the Eugene Climate and Energy Action Plan
This HIA explored seven transportation recommendations made in the Eugene Climate and Energy Action Plan (CEAP) and looked at the health impacts of each policy as it relates to physical activity, air pollution and collisions. Recommendations encouraged the full adoption of the transportation policies found in the CEAP—as they were found to have the potential […]
Healthy Neighborhoods for a Healthy Detroit
Detroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center conducted a health impact assessment to inform the Detroit Future City’s Strategic Framework, a plan to guide land use planning for the city. The HIA addressed the potential impact on high-vacancy neighborhoods of the framework’s proposals for public lighting and blight removal. The report presented evidence-based recommendations to minimize risks […]
West North Avenue Streetscape Plan
The Baltimore City Health Department conducted an HIA of the West North Avenue Streetscape Plan, an urban redevelopment project for a major east-west corridor in the city. The HIA sought to determine the impacts of alternative streetscape design features on the health of residents and to identify design priorities that would promote community health. Consultation […]
Brownsville Neighborhood
Made in Brownsville, a nonprofit based in Brooklyn, New York, conducted a rapid HIA to evaluate the health impacts of three proposed projects in the Brownsville neighborhood: a community culinary center, incubation lab, and entrepreneurship lab. The HIA explored potential effects that could result from changes to social cohesion, access to goods and services, and […]
Choice Neighborhood Transformation Plan for a Community in Albany, Georgia
The Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development at the Georgia Institute of Technology, along with the Georgia Department of Public Health, conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) of the redevelopment of McIntosh Homes, a public housing project in Albany, Georgia. The redevelopment plan for McIntosh Homes was developed by the Albany Housing Authority (AHA) […]
Fitchburg Vacant Lots
The City of Fitchburg, along with the Montachusett Opportunity Council, the Montachusett Regional Planning Council, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and Fun ‘n FITchburg, conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) that examined the City of Fitchburg’s proposals for the redevelopment of vacant lots around the city. The city considered several strategies for the lots, […]
Coffelt-Lamoreaux Public Housing Redevelopment
Catalyze Research and Consulting, LLC, along with the Phoenix Revitalization Corporation and with support from the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Phoenix, conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) of the proposed plan for redevelopment of the Coffelt-Lamoreaux Public Housing Project (Coffelt) in Phoenix, Arizona. Coffelt is the oldest operational public housing project in Maricopa County. […]
Elmira Housing
In 2018, Common Ground Health conducted a rapid HIA to examine the effects of aging housing stock on the health of low-income communities in Elmira, New York, and to inform neighborhood revitalization efforts. More than 90% of the city’s housing was built before 1950, and some of these aging dwellings present a high risk of […]
Wastewater Infrastructure in Fresno County
The Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability conducted an HIA to inform decisions about wastewater infrastructure in the Fresno County (California) General Plan Update and to evaluate wastewater infrastructure health effects in Riverside County. Densely populated neighborhoods in Fresno and Riverside counties lack access to municipal wastewater services and instead rely on septic systems or […]
Eugene-Springfield Consolidated Plan and the Impact of Housing on Children’s Health
Lane County Public Health, in partnership with the Eugene Planning and Development Department and the Oregon Public Health Institute, conducted a rapid HIA on an affordable housing policy outlined in the 2010 consolidated plan for the cities of Eugene and Springfield, focusing on impacts to children’s health. The plan describes a five-year vision for housing […]
Middlesex Greenway Use and Access Plan
The New Jersey Health Impact Collaborative recently completed an HIA in conjunction with preparation of a plan to increase use and access of a “rails-to-trails” greenway located in Central New Jersey. The recently opened 3.5 mile paved Middlesex Greenway runs through the towns of Edison, Metuchen, and Woodbridge in central New Jersey. The three towns, […]
Mid-South Regional Greenprint and Sustainability Plan
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 […]
Environmental Decisions in New Mexico
Conservation Voters New Mexico Education Fund (CVNMEF) conducted an HIA to examine how switching from diesel to electric school buses could affect the health of residents in Rio Arriba and McKinley counties, where air quality is particularly poor compared with the rest of the state. The HIA focused on addressing social and economic drivers of […]
Community Climate Choices
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 […]
Atlanta Regional Plan 2040
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, […]
Transitional Jobs Program
The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute conducted an HIA to inform a decision on the status of the Wisconsin Transitional Jobs Program during the spring 2013 session that will shape the 2013-2015 biennial state budget. The HIA focused on the immediate health effects of changes in income related to employment, such as diet, alcohol […]
Winona County Active Living Plan
In 2014, Winona County Community Services produced a countywide Active Living Plan to provide direction on policies and practices that create active communities through nonmotorized transportation (biking and walking) and access to community recreation facilities. Winona County, along with the Minnesota Department of Health, conducted a health impact assessment to enhance the Active Living Plan […]
Earned Income Tax Credit in Arkansas
Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, in partnership with Children’s HealthWatch, conducted an HIA to examine the potential health effects of creating a state-level, refundable earned income tax credit (EITC). Specifically, it considered how an EITC could affect Arkansas residents’ general health, children’s health, maternal depressive symptoms, low birth weight, childhood development delays, and obesity. […]
Utility Rulemaking on Connecticut’s Public Benefit Fund
National Association of State Community Services Programs (NASCSP) is supporting a Weatherization Plus Health pilot in Connecticut, collaborating with the CT Association for Community Action (CAFCA) and community action agency New Opportunities, Inc. (NOI) to deliver integrated weatherization and healthy homes interventions to low-income households. Securing funding that is adequate, flexible, and sustainable is vital […]
Child and Adult Care Food Program Nutrition Standards
The Kids’ Safe and Healthful Foods Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, conducted an HIA to inform the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s work on creation and implementation of a final rule updating the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) nutrition standards. The program provides funding for […]
North Carolina Senate Bill 731
Davidson Design for Life, in collaboration with a Regional Advisory Commission, conducted an HIA of North Carolina State Senate Bill 731, a bill that would amend zoning legislation to make certain building design standards not applicable to low-density, single family residences. Low-density is defined as five units per acre or less. These building design elements […]
Full-Day Kindergarten
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas completed an HIA to inform decisions by the Nevada State Legislature on proposed modifications to the availability of full-day kindergarten and on allocating state funding to support full-day kindergarten in high-risk schools. The HIA highlighted connections between full-day kindergarten and academic success. In particular, the study found that black, […]
Raising the Legal Tobacco Purchase and Use Age to 21 in Utah
Utah legislators were urged by coalitions and associations to consider raising the legal age of tobacco purchases from 19 to 21. During the 2015 legislative session, In response to requests from civic coalitions and associations, Representative Powell proposed a bill to raise the legal age of tobacco purchases from 19 to 21 in 2015. A […]
Massachusetts Community Investment Tax Credit Grant Program
Health Resources in Action, in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission, will conduct a health impact assessment, or HIA, to inform the promulgation of regulations by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development that will guide the release of funding for community development corporations under the […]
School Level Needs Assessment Regulations Under the Every Student Succeeds Act
The Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, conducted a rapid HIA to inform the U.S. Department of Education’s proposed Title I regulations Section 200.21(c) regarding the content, procedures, and implementation of school-level needs assessments. Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, local educational agencies (LEAs) are […]
Legalizing Medical Marijuana in Kansas
The Kansas Health Institute conducted an HIA of potential health effects of legalizing medical marijuana in the state. The HIA examined five factors that could affect health: access to and consumption of marijuana, crime, driving under the influence of marijuana and related traffic accidents, and accidental ingestion, with an emphasis on disproportionate effects to vulnerable […]
City of Fairmont Bicycle/Pedestrian Transportation Plan
The Health Research Center (HRC) at West Virginia University, along with Main Street Fairmont, is conducting a health impact assessment (HIA) of a comprehensive bicycle and pedestrian plan for downtown Fairmont, West Virginia. The HIA will explore how bike lanes and other pedestrian improvements, as well as increased connectivity to parks, schools, and points of […]
Minnesota Drug Sentencing Reform
The Council on Crime and Justice conducted an HIA to inform the Minnesota State Legislature’s decision to reform state drug sentencing laws by providing evidence-based information about the potential health impacts on individuals, families, and communities. The findings and recommendations show that particular changes in the proposed legislation could yield positive (or negative) health outcomes […]
Washington County’s Active Transportation Policies
This HIA provided information to Washington County’s leaders and planners as they updated the county’s active transportation policies, and made decisions about the design of bicycle and pedestrian facilities in upcoming transportation projects. The goals of the HIA were to understand barriers to biking and walking in Washington County, and research the connections between health, […]
Bottineau Transitway
Hennepin County’s Department of Housing, Community Works and Transit (HCWT) conducted an HIA to inform planning decisions on the proposed Bottineau Transitway. The transitway proposal would create a new bus or light rail line extending from downtown Minneapolis through North Minneapolis and into neighboring suburbs. The HIA was coordinated with the Draft Environmental Impact Statement […]
California Cap and Trade Rulemaking
The California Department of Public Health, in collaboration with the California Public Health Institute, conducted an HIA to inform the development of new carbon ‘cap and trade’ regulations (Assembly Bill 32) by the California Air Resources Board. The new regulations are intended to reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by imposing a cap on the […]
East Bay Bus Rapid Transit
Human Impact Partners and the University of California, Berkeley schools of Public Health and City and Regional Planning, in partnership with TransForm and other Alameda County, California, community organizations, conducted an HIA of the East Bay Bus Rapid Transit Project connecting three cities in the county. The HIA examined the potential health implications of the […]
2013 U.S. Farm Bill Reauthorization
Federal spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was a central dispute during the 112th and 113th Congressional deliberations over the Farm Bill reauthorization. The Senate and House introduced several bills that sought to reduce SNAP spending by changing the procedures that states use to determine eligibility and the benefit amount that some participating […]
California High-Speed Rail: San Jose to Merced Corridor
Graduate students at the University of California, Berkeley conducted an HIA to add value to decision-making regarding design alternatives for the San Jose to Merced corridor of the California High-Speed Rail. The study identified opportunities for health benefits as well as risks and negative health costs. The HIA found that the direct employment benefits of […]
The Effects of Wild Rice Water Quality Rule Changes on Tribal Health
The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa conducted an HIA to analyze and explain the importance of wild rice, or manoomin, to the health of the Ojibwe people in advance of a proposed revision to loosen water quality standards for wild rice cultivation in Minnesota. Hand-harvested manoomin is a staple for the Ojibwe […]
Climate Smart Strategies
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 […]
Pregnant Workers in Kentucky
The Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness conducted an HIA to analyze the potential health effects of the Kentucky Pregnant Workers’ Act. The bill proposed to ensure reasonable workplace accommodations for women during pregnancy, such as reducing heavy lifting, bending, or standing and exposure to chemicals, heavy metals, and loud noises; providing consistent […]
Poultry Litter-Fired Power Plant
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) conducted an HIA to inform decisions regarding a proposed biomass power plant that would burn poultry litter in Virginia. The Shenandoah Valley in northwestern Virginia is among the nation’s largest producers of poultry. The litter produced by poultry farms is of particular concern because, when applied as fertilizer, the runoff can […]
California Proposition 47: The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act
Human Impact Partners conducted an HIA of California Proposition 47, The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act, which appeared on the November 2014 state ballot. Proposition 47 would reclassify six nonserious, nonviolent offenses as misdemeanors; allow people incarcerated for those crimes to apply for lower sentences, release, and expungement; and redirect savings from a reduction in […]
Massachusetts Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights
This HIA will inform the establishment of a Massachusetts Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights that is under consideration by the state Legislature. The bill of rights would amend state labor law to guarantee basic work standards and protect domestic workers, primarily nannies, housekeepers, and personal caregivers/aides. The HIA will provide the best available information on […]
Marijuana Policies Related to Child Abuse and Neglect in the State of Colorado
The Pediatric Injury Prevention Education and Research Program at the Colorado School of Public Health, in collaboration with Children’s Hospital Colorado and the Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect, conducted an HIA to inform Colorado Department of Human Services consideration of new policies on how marijuana use should be […]
Central Oregon Regional Transit
This project explored how a coordinated regional transit system might impact health disparities in the Central Oregon counties of Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook. The HIA focused on impacts to health through opportunities for physical activity and access to healthy foods, health care services, and employment, as well as safety. Outcome Commute Options presented at a […]
Evaluation of Landfill and Waste-to-Energy Options for Managing Municipal Solid Waste
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 […]
East Bay Greenway
The HIA addressed a proposed plan for twelve miles of pedestrian and biking trails under the elevated Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) tracks from East Oakland to Hayward, known as the East Bay Greenway. Some of the influences on health that were considered include, the opportunity for increased physical activity, the greening of the landscape, […]
Eastside Greenway Project
This health impact assessment will inform and influence planning and implementation decisions related to the establishment of a trail and greenway network traversing diverse communities on Cuyahoga County’s eastside. The Eastside Greenway was initiated to connect the eastside of Cleveland and thirteen eastside suburbs through a unified trail system, connecting neighborhoods to parks, employment and […]
Bown Crossing Branch Library
Vitruvian Planning LLC conducted a rapid HIA on behalf of Boise, Idaho, that analyzed the potential health effects of building a new library in the Bown Crossing neighborhood. The study examined the impacts of programming or services offered at the library, with a focus on youth and older adults, and of the location selection. Findings […]
New Jersey Paid Sick Days
Human Impact Partners conducted an HIA of the federal Healthy Families Act of 2009 and a companion rapid assessment of existing health data relevant to New Jersey. As of 2011, almost 40% of the state’s private sector workers—over 1.2 million New Jersey residents—were not entitled to any paid sick days. At the time of the […]
Fresno County Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategies
California’s Senate Bill 375 mandates that each regional government in California develop and adopt plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in part through developing Regional Transportation Plans and Sustainable Communities Strategies that will guide local land use, transportation, and other decisions important to greenhouse gas emissions. California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) conducted two health impact […]
USDA Proposed Changes to School Nutrition Standards
In 2020, Healthy Eating Research conducted a rapid HIA to inform proposed changes to the USDA’s nutrition standards for school meal programs. The HIA found that the implementation of strong nutrition standards following passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act in 2010 resulted in healthier, more well-balanced meals and that these improvements have significant short- […]
Town ‘N’ Country Parks and Recreation
The Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County, in conjunction with the Hillsborough County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Conservation and Partners in Obesity Prevention, conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) of policy and programming changes that would allow businesses to provide free outdoor fitness classes in five parks and recreation centers in the Town […]
Reducing Sodium in the County of Los Angeles
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 […]
Western Massachusetts Casino
Partners for a Healthier Community, or PHC, conducted an HIA to inform the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, local municipalities, and the public about the location of a casino in the four-county region of western Massachusetts. Legislation passed in November 2011 allows for as many as three destination resort casinos in three regions of the state, with […]
Massachusetts Speed Limit Bill
This HIA considered the impacts of proposed legislation in Massachusetts to lower the default speed limit on local roads from 30 miles per hour (mph) to 25 mph. The HIA examined potential impacts to injuries, air pollution, safety, and physical activity from a reduction in speed. The HIA determined that the proposed legislation could have […]
Mass Transit Funding in California
The Governor of California proposed a budget for FY 2007/2008 that included provisions to reallocate $1.3 billion in gasoline sales tax revenue that had been targeted for transit operations, maintenance, and capital projects to other statewide programs. The HIA examined how the proposed cuts to transit funding could impact public health through air, water, and […]
Tobacco Retail Licensing Policy
Upstream Public Health and the Oregon Health Equity Alliance conducted an HIA to examine the potential racial, social, environmental, and economic health equity effects on Multnomah County communities of a potential tobacco retail license policy based on state legislation that has been introduced at the state level. The goals of this project were to inform […]
Treatment Alternatives to Prison
WISDOM, in collaboration with Human Impact Partners, conducted an HIA to project the potential health impacts of scaling up Treatment Alternative Diversion (TAD) programs from $2 million to $75 million in the Wisconsin state budget. The HIA assessed the long-term health consequences of Wisconsin’s exploding prison population of the past two decades, and examined the […]
State Route 50 Bus Rapid Transit
MetroPlan Orlando, in partnership with the University of Central Florida and the Winter Park Health Foundation, conducted the first transportation HIA in central Florida. The state Route 50 Bus Rapid Transit HIA analyzed the potential effects of implementing bus rapid transit along 22 miles of SR 50 on the physical, social, and emotional health of […]
New Hampshire Paid Sick Days
Human Impact Partners conducted an HIA of the federal Healthy Families Act of 2009 and a companion rapid assessment to review existing health data relevant to paid sick day legislation (H.B. 662) under consideration in New Hampshire. The HIA found that between 2004 and 2008, 89 percent of foodborne disease outbreaks in the state occurred […]
Farm to School Coordinator in Arkansas
The Childhood Obesity Prevention Research Program at Arkansas Children’s Research Institute, with technical assistance from Upstream Public Health, conducted an HIA to examine the potential impacts of a state farm-to-school (F2S) coordinator position on the health of the state’s public school students. As of 2017, nearly 1 in 4 Arkansas kindergarteners were overweight or obese, […]
Eagle Pathways and Trails Plan
With funding from St. Luke’s Foundation, Vitruvian Planning and the Eagle (Idaho) Parks and Recreation Department conducted an HIA to understand how the city’s Pathways and Trails Plan might influence the health of area residents. Recommendations Focus on areas with the highest socio-economic need for bicycle paths, pedestrian trails, and accessible green spaces when selecting […]
Massachusetts Paid Sick Days
This health impact assessment (HIA) addressed a Massachusetts-specific version of the federal Healthy Families Act. The pathways and health issues explored included: 1) the spread of communicable diseases, such as influenza and stomach flu through workers at restaurants, schools and nursing homes; 2) the income and stress-related impacts of loss of salary and employer retaliation […]
Coastal Region Metropolitan Planning Organization Freight Transportation Plan
The Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development, the Georgia Health Policy Center, and the Coastal Region Metropolitan Planning Organization conducted an HIA to understand how policies and guidance detailed in the regional metropolitan planning organization’s freight study and expected increases in freight train traffic will affect residents’ health in Chatham County. The HIA focused […]
New Mexico Food Tax
New Mexico Voices for Children completed an HIA of a proposed tax on food in the state. In 2004, the New Mexico Legislature exempted food from the gross receipts tax, the state’s version of the sales tax. However, state legislators, under pressure from local governments facing declining revenue, are considering allowing localities to reinstate a […]
Payday Lending in Minnesota
Human Impact Partners, working closely with ISAIAH—a faith-based coalition of more than 100 congregations—conducted an HIA to assess the potential health effects of a legislative proposal to cap annual percentage rates (APR) on payday loans and increase reporting requirements. The bill is expected to be introduced in the Minnesota Legislature in 2016. The HIA considered […]
Proposed Opioid Pre-Authorization Policy in Utah
Public health graduate students at Brigham Young University conducted an HIA to analyze the potential health effects of a bill proposed in the Utah Legislature to require prescribers to get prior authorization from an insurer for any opioid prescription that exceeds 90-morphine equivalents; for benzodiazepines prescribed to patients already taking opioids; and for new chronic […]
Legalizing Medical Marijuana Through the Utah Medical Cannabis Act
Public health graduate students at Brigham Young University conducted an HIA to analyze potential health effects of the Utah Medical Cannabis Act (UMCA), a ballot initiative to legalize the use and production of medical marijuana in the state. The authors investigated how the UMCA might affect potential medical marijuana users, adolescents, economically disadvantaged individuals, and […]
Loch Haven Park Improvement Plan
The City of Orlando, Florida recently acquired an additional two acres to expand Loch Haven Park, a 45-acre park established in the 1930s and home to many of Orlando’s art and cultural institutions. The Loch Haven Park Improvement Plan was developed to take advantage of opportunities to improve park cohesion during this expansion, since many […]
Buford Highway and NE Plaza Redevelopment
An HIA that examined the expected health benefits of proposed highway design changes (e.g., reducing lanes, adding sidewalks, medians, bike lanes and on-street parking) to the Buford Highway Corridor. Special emphasis was placed on the potential impacts on physical activity and pedestrian injuries. – This Health Impact Assessment Report first appeared in The Cross-Sector Toolkit […]
Maternity Leave in the Palau Workforce
The Palau Health Impact Assessment Working Group, in partnership with Ulkerreuil A Klengar, conducted a rapid health impact assessment of S.B. 9-20-SD2, which would require all employers to provide up to three month maternity leave to pregnant employees, with the option for an additional month of unpaid leave. The current law covers maternity leave only […]
After-School Programs – Proposition 49
The Health Impact Assessment (HIA) Project, a joint endeavor of the Partnership for Prevention and the UCLA School of Public Health, conducted this HIA on a state legislative proposal to expand funding for after-school programs. The HIA found several potential health benefits that could occur through improving educational outcomes; through reductions in violence and injury […]
Kane County Farmland Protection
This HIA studied a proposed amendment to Ordinance 01-67, the Farmland Protection Program, which has operated for 10 years and resulted in the permanent protection of over 5,500 acres of farmland. The amendment would broaden annual investments to include small and organic farms producing fruits, vegetables, and meat, and is intended in part to increase […]
National Nutrition Standards for Snack and a la Carte Foods and Beverages
The 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to align nutrition standards for all foods and beverages sold in schools with the federal dietary guidelines. Healthy diets are linked to a number of children’s health outcomes, including maintaining a recommended weight, decreased risk of tooth decay and other chronic diseases, […]
Pay Equity Policies
With funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Wayne County, MI Department of Public Health completed a health impact assessment (HIA) of a national and statewide policy proposal for gender pay equity. Wayne County DPH’s Place Matters team is focused on infant mortality, and is interested to work on upstream issues that impact maternal and […]
Kentucky Worksite Wellness Tax Credit
The purpose of the assessment was to evaluate the potential effects of a worksite wellness tax credit on three main areas of concern for Kentucky: (1) nutrition, physical activity and obesity levels of children whose parents receive Worksite Wellness services, (2) jobs and (3) social cohesion. The purpose of conducting the HIA was to consider […]
Ortiz Avenue Road Widening
Researchers from Florida Gulf Coast University, in partnership with the Tice Historic Community Planning Panel, completed a rapid HIA of a road-widening project in a primarily low-income minority community in Lee County, Florida. In 2010 Lee County Department of Transportation completed the design plans for Ortiz Avenue. These design plans identified a four-lane, divided road […]
California Paid Sick Days
The HIA addressed California Assembly Bill 2716: Healthy Families, Healthy Workplaces Act of 2008. The bill would have entitled an employee who works in California to accrue paid sick time at a rate of no less than one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked, up to nine days per year. An […]
Rental Assistance Demonstration Project
Human Impact Partners, Advancement Project, and National People’s Action conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) of Congress’ federal 2011 proposed Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) project to re-organize public housing funding and management structures. Using mixed research methods, the HIA assessed the impacts of RAD on: management, evictions, and resident organizing; housing affordability, stability, and quality; […]
Minnesota School Location and Design
The Public Health Law Center will conduct an HIA to examine the ways in which decisions about school location and building design can affect health to inform revisions to the Minnesota Department of Education’s school construction and siting guidelines. School design features important to health could include improvements to bike and pedestrian access that increase […]
Vermont Paid Sick Leave
The Vermont Department of Health conducted an HIA of a proposed sick leave policy that would provide paid health care time for every 30 hours worked. Employees could use this leave—up to 56 hours annually—to recover from an illness; seek preventive care; provide care for a family member; coordinate social or legal services; and receive […]
Maine Paid Sick Days
This health impact assessment (HIA) addressed a Maine-specific version of the federal Healthy Families Act, a bill that would have entitled an employee to accrue paid sick time at a rate of one hour for every 30 hours worked, up to nine days per year. The pathways and health issues explored included: 1) the spread […]
Marin Housing Code Enforcement Policies
Legal Aid of Marin and Human Impact Partners conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) of proposed changes to the Housing Code Enforcement Policy in three jurisdictions in California: unincorporated Marin County, Novato, and San Rafael. The HIA examined how common housing complaints such as water incursion, pests infestations, mold and dampness, electrical problems, and heating […]
Cowlitz County Coal Export Terminal
Millennium Bulk Terminals is proposing to construct and operate a coal export terminal on a 190-acre site along the Columbia River in Cowlitz County, Washington. The terminal would receive rail shipments of coal from the Powder River and the Uinta basins, which would then be transported by ship on the Columbia River and Pacific Ocean […]
Potential Health Effects of Changes to the Kansas Liquor Control Act
This HIA was conducted to inform the state’s decision on whether to revise the Kansas Liquor Control Act to allow convenience and grocery stores to hold retail liquor licenses. The law, which has been in place for more than 60 years, currently allows only liquor stores to sell spirits, wine, and beer with higher alcohol […]
Municipal Water Reuse in Kansas
The Kansas Water Vision plan calls for an evaluation of uses of lower-quality water in the state so the Kansas Health Institute conducted a health impact assessment to examine how municipal water reuse might affect the health of state residents. The study analyzed seven factors related to water reuse that could affect health in Kansas: […]
School Discipline Policies
Human Impact Partners conducted an HIA on the health implications of three different approaches to disciplining students in California schools: zero tolerance, positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), and restorative justice. It is hypothesized that zero tolerance policies (in which students are suspended or expelled for offenses) may not make schools safer and may actually […]
California State Gas Tax Alternatives
The Center for Health Advancement at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) to identify potential health effects of proposed changes to California’s state gas tax, such as replacing the tax with a mileage-based user fee. The HIA investigated whether any of the alternatives would adversely affect existing socio-economic […]
Alcohol Retail Outlet Density Policy in Utah
During the 2014 legislative cycle, Utah legislators intended to revisit alcohol regulations that many stakeholders felt were outdated. These included a limit on the number of alcohol retail outlet licenses issued according to population quotas. Some stakeholders were concerned that lowering the population quotas required for each license would lead to an increase in the […]
Massachusetts Small Business Technical Assistance Program
The Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, together with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, conducted an HIA to inform state decisions on funding for the Small Business Technical Assistance (SBTA) Program, an initiative that incubates and supports small businesses in underserved Massachusetts communities. The HIA explored links between the income-generating effects of supporting small […]
California Assembly Bill 346: Joint Use Projects and Eligibility for State Assistance
A rapid HIA completed by a student at the School of Public Health at the University of California at Berkeley to examine the potential health outcomes as joint use agreements eligible for state funding are expanded under California AB 346. – This Health Impact Assessment Report first appeared in The Cross-Sector Toolkit for Health. The […]
Warranty of Habitability in Arkansas
The Arkansas Community Institute, Central Arkansas ReEntry Coalition, and local partners conducted an HIA of H.B. 1166, which would create a “warranty of habitability”—a set of basic statewide quality standards in public and private rental housing. The project focused on the bill’s potential impacts on low-income renters living south of Interstate 630 in Little Rock, […]
California Domestic Worker Equality, Fairness and Dignity Act
The San Francisco Department of Public Health conducted an HIA to assess the impact of California Assembly Bill 889, which proposed extending labor protections including overtime compensation, meal and rest periods, and uninterrupted sleep periods with compensation to domestic workers. The HIA focused specifically on two provisions of the bill: amending California Workers’ Compensation legislation […]
Tice Community Connectivity and Redevelopment
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 […]
Bernalillo County Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Action Plan
This HIA, carried out by Bernalillo County Place Matters Team, evaluated the health impacts of the county Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety and Action Plan. The HIA focused on the plan’s potential impact to pedestrian and bicycle accessibility and safety along Mountain View’s Second Street. Several health determinants that could be affected by the plan were […]
Madison Heights
The Arizona Department of Health Services (AZDHS), in partnership with the Local Iniative Support Corporation (LISC), the Housing Authority of Maricopa County, and the Maricopa County Department of Health, conducted an HIA on the redevelopment of Madison Heights, a public housing unit near Phoenix, Arizona. The HIA examined the potential health effect of the development […]
City of Sheridan Comprehensive Plan Update
The Tri-County Health Department conducted an HIA of Sheridan’s Comprehensive Plan update, which is intended to help frame policies that maximize positive health effects and prioritize implementation strategies. The previous Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 2004, had focused on programmatic municipal changes and guidance for specific properties in the community. One objective for the new plan […]
MacArthur BART Transit Village
MacArthur Transit Village project was presented in October 2006 at the MacArthur BART Citizen’s Planning Committee meeting. This HIA was conducted by the UC Berkeley Health Impact Group to evaluate the health effects of the proposed project, with the goal that it would be submitted to the Citizen’s Planning Committee and other public agencies. A […]
I-710 Expansion
Human Impact Partners (HIP) conducted an HIA that addressed the expansion and improvements planned for the I-710 freeway in Los Angeles, a vital transportation artery that links the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles to the Southern California region and beyond. A coalition including community groups, academic experts, city, county, regional and federal agencies, […]
San Francisco Bay Area’s Regional Transportation Plan
This HIA, conducted by the Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD), informed the development of the San Francisco Bay Area’s Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), which will serve as a guide to transportation-related investments over the next 25 years. The assessment examined the equity impacts–or how the new Plan might affect different populations in different ways–of […]
Retail Cannabis Regulation in Los Angeles County
In 2017, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors requested that the county Department of Public Health (DPH) assess the potential health equity implications of allowing licensed cannabis dispensaries to operate in unincorporated areas. DPH conducted an HIA to examine the potential health impacts of policy and regulatory decisions related to cannabis business locations and […]
Lowry Corridor, Phase 2
The HIA addressed the health impacts of the planned Phase 2 reconstruction of the Lowry Avenue Corridor, a five-mile thoroughfare located north of downtown Minneapolis. Some of the influences on health explored in the HIA included social and cultural change as the economic characteristics of the neighborhood evolve; employment and economy; environmental issues, such as […]
Zoning for Walkable Mixed-Use Neighborhoods
This desktop HIA examined the impacts of a proposed zoning change in Omaha to support active transportation options. The City of Omaha Planning Department was considering creating a zoning classification for walkable mixed-use neighborhoods and requested an HIA on how this zoning might affect health. The HIA examined how the proposed zoning changes would affect […]
Central Park Boulevard Commuter Rail Station-Denver
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 […]
Houston Transit-Oriented Development
Texas Southern University conducted an HIA to examine the health impacts of possible development patterns that could occur in the neighborhood near a planned station on a 30-mile, five-corridor light rail expansion. Transit-oriented development generally includes high-density housing and a mix of shopping choices near transit stops in order to encourage use of public transportation. […]
Milton U.S. 7 Corridor
The Burlington District Office of the Vermont Department of Health, in collaboration with the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, the Town of Milton, and other stakeholders, conducted an HIA of the reconfiguration of a 3-mile corridor of U.S. Route 7 in Milton. Eight strategies are proposed for the corridor; the HIA focused on the four […]
San Pablo Corridor
The HIA addressed a decision about where to locate affordable housing along a high-traffic transit and retail corridor in Richmond and El Cerrito, California. The HIA was done in conjunction with a planning process for revitalization of the corridor. Pathways and health issues explored included neighborhood “health assets” (e.g., parks, trails, community centers, schools, transit […]
Cuyahoga County Transportation for Livable Communities Initiative
The Cuyahoga County Board of Health (CCBH) is conducting an HIA to examine the health effects of the Transportation for Livable Communities Initiative (TLCI) planning project for key intersections of the four mile stretch of Euclid Avenue in Euclid, Ohio. At this time, the plan intends to produce specific recommendations for 1) pedestrian and bicycle […]
Replacing Public Housing Units Destroyed by Hurricane Ike
In 2008, Hurricane Ike brought disaster to Galveston, Texas, destroying over 500 public housing units and displacing residents, many of whom already faced a disproportionate burden of poor health determinants and outcomes such as lack of access to medical care and exercise opportunities, and higher rates of asthma, high blood pressure, and other conditions. Local […]
University of Southern California Specific Plan
Human Impact Partners, in collaboration with Strategic Actions for a Just Economy and Esperanza Community Housing Corp., conducted a rapid HIA of a proposed 5.2-million-square-foot build-out on the University Park campus of the University of Southern California. The proposal included retail space, restaurants, a hotel, and student housing. The HIA emphasized community involvement and focused […]
Wage Theft in Los Angeles
Human Impact Partners, in collaboration with the Los Angeles Coalition Against Wage Theft, conducted an HIA of the proposed wage theft ordinance in Los Angeles. In 2014, the coalition proposed provisions for the ordinance that were accepted by the City Council and then reviewed by the Los Angeles city attorney. The proposed ordinance includes provisions […]
Zoning and Student Housing in La Plaza Vieja
The La Plaza Vieja Neighborhood Association, residents of Arrowhead Village, Hermosa Vida community organizers, the Department of Anthropology at Northern Arizona University, and an independent HIA consultant conducted a rapid HIA to examine the potential health effects a local rezoning proposal intended to accommodate new student housing in Flagstaff, Arizona. The HIA found that the […]
Tampa Brownfields Redevelopment Plan
The Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County conducted an HIA on the EPA Brownfields Area-Wide Plan, a proposal to redevelop various sites in Tampa’s University Area Community. The HIA investigated the potential health effects of the plan and whether they would disproportionately affect certain populations, such as racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with physical […]
Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program
The HIA addressed the health implications of a housing assistance and homelessness prevention program called the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MVRP), as well as proposed changes to the program for FY2006. The HIA: 1) looked specifically at program components like time limits, work requirements, eligibility determination and required tenant rent contributions; and 2) studied the […]
East Greeley and Weld County
The Weld County Department of Public Health & Environment conducted a rapid health impact assessment of the East Greeley and Weld County Study Area to establish a baseline community health profile and gather input from community stakeholders to inform planning decisions around a federal grant to promote healthy eating and physical activity. The HIA found […]
Hamilton Springs Transit-Oriented Development
In 2012, construction crews broke ground on Middle Tennessee’s first transit-oriented development. The developer was interested in possibly including a school as part of the Transit-Oriented Development Master Plan. The Metropolitan Planning Organization was approached by the master site planner to provide information that would help the developer understand the economic and public health benefits […]
East Harlem Neighborhood Plan
East Harlem has lost more than 1,500 affordable housing units since 2011 and is projected to lose nearly 7,000 more over the next decade. The New York Academy of Medicine conducted a rapid health impact assessment to examine the potential health effects of the mandatory inclusionary housing policy outlined in New York City’s East Harlem […]
Shawnee Fossil Plant
The Kentucky Environmental Foundation, in collaboration with the Purchase District Health Department, conducted an HIA to inform decisions on whether to retire or retrofit the coal-fired Shawnee Fossil Plant in McCracken County. The HIA also informed the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Integrated Resource Planning, which guides future energy production scenarios. Data indicate that rates of asthma, […]
Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 9 (EPA) contracted with Human Impact Partners to develop the scope for a health impact assessment (HIA) of proposed expansion projects for the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, California. The process included public meetings to bring stakeholders together for input. The EPA hoped to use the scoping […]
Jewish Home of San Francisco Pedestrian Infrastructure
The San Francisco Department of Public Health conducted an HIA to analyze pedestrian safety conditions around the proposed Jewish Home of San Francisco, a senior housing and retail project along the Mission Street corridor in the Outer Mission/Excelsior neighborhoods. The report analyzed the site’s characteristics for transit, transportation, neighborhood demographics, and pedestrian injury factors, and […]
McGrath Highway Corridor Redevelopment
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) conducted an HIA to evaluate how alternative designs of the Route 28/McGrath Highway corridor may affect the health of residents. The HIA focused on health impacts related to new park space, multimodal access to the region, improvements in air quality, and enhanced connectivity between neighborhoods. The HIA examined […]
Transit Oriented Development Within Nashville’s Northeast Corridor
The Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is creating a 30-mile transportation system between downtown Nashville and Gallatin, Tennessee. The three transit-oriented development (TOD) sites will be Madison, Hendersonville, and Gallatin. The Nashville MPO initiated a Northeast Corridor Study to develop a strategy for implementation. The HIA looked at design factors that would promote engaging […]
St. Louis Park Comprehensive Plan
In 2010, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) received a grant from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to support and conduct Health Impact Assessments (HIAs). As part of the grant requirements and in collaboration with the City of St. Louis Park (SLP), […]
Concord Naval Weapons Station Reuse Project
The HIA addressed potential reuse plans for the Concord Naval Weapons Station, a 5,028-acre former US Navy weapons storage site that is to be redeveloped by the City of Concord, CA. In 2008, the city proposed several development alternatives, later narrowed to two, that each included locations for housing, commercial space, community facilities, parks, roadways […]
Wichita Transit System
The Kansas Health Institute and the University of Kansas School of Medicine – Wichita conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) to inform a Wichita City Council vote on proposed changes to the city’s transit system. The HIA found that the health of people who do not have a reliable car or social network would be […]
Potential Utility Fee to Fund Columbia Transit
The Columbia Transit system is stressed due to increased student ridership, new routes, budget cuts, and higher fuel costs. The Columbia/Boone County Department of Health and Human Services conducted a rapid health impact assessment (HIA) in response to the Columbia Transit System Expansion HIA completed in 2012. The Columbia, Missouri City Council requested an HIA […]
Columbia Transit System Expansion
The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services partnered with the PedNet Coalition and Central Missouri Community Action in late 2011 to perform an HIA on the health effects of expanding and improving bus service in Columbia. The HIA focused on health indicators most likely to be affected by expansion of public transit, […]
Douglas County Comprehensive Plan
In 2010, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) received funds from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) to support and conduct Health Impact Assessments (HIAs). This assistance provided an opportunity to collaborate with Douglas County Public Health to evaluate the County’s draft Comprehensive Plan from a public health perspective. Douglas County Public […]
Planning for Parks, Green Space, and Trails in Greenville’s West Side
The HIA recommended that the city take steps to mitigate the potential effects of gentrification and displacement, such as making adequate affordable housing stock available and minimizing displacement, evictions, and foreclosures that may occur as a result of the potential park and additional redevelopment. The assessment also recommended that the park include a means to […]
Westerly Creek
As part of their Denver Healthy People 2011 and subsequent Denver Healthy People 2020 initiatives, the City of Denver conducted an HIA of the plans to renovate a portion of the Westerly Creek canal system proposed by the Westerly Creek Connection (WCC). Westerly Creek is a waterway that flows along the border of the cities […]
Proposed Expansion of Bus Routes in Marion County, Indiana
IndyGo, the Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation, proposed tripling existing bus service in the Greater Indianapolis area. The Indiana University Center for Health Policy, in collaboration with the county health department and the local metropolitan planning organization, developed a curriculum for a graduate level HIA course. In the first half of the course, students were exposed […]
Clark County Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan
This HIA addressed the health implications of the Clark County Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. Some of the pathways and health issues explored included physical activity and food access, with special consideration to the particular health challenges that face vulnerable populations, such as low-income families. Outcome Clark County Public Health received Active Living Research’s 2012 […]
Sacramento Safe Routes to School
The UCLA School of Public Health, in collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Project MOVE, conducted an HIA on the health impacts of the Sacramento Safe Routes to School Program. The program seeks to reduce the number of children killed while walking and biking to school, and foster an active lifestyle among […]
Tumalo Community Plan
This HIA was designed to examine the health implications of policies contained within a proposed community plan for Tumalo, Oregon. The Tumalo Community Plan (TCP) was one small part of a larger, comprehensive 20-year plan update for Deschutes County. The determinants of health that were assessed by this HIA include: physical activity; traffic safety; “rural […]
Street Design Ordinance in Davidson, North Carolina
Davidson Design for Life, in collaboration with Davidson College students in a Public Health Policy, Practice, and Ethics course, conducted an HIA of the current Davidson street design standards to inform a rewrite of the town’s planning ordinance, scheduled to be adopted in the 2014-2015 fiscal year. The HIA considered the impacts of street design […]
Federal Boulevard Framework Plan
This health impact assessment (HIA) informed the proposed Federal Boulevard framework plan, with a specific focus on the light-rail stations at 60th Avenue and Federal Boulevard and at 71st Avenue and Irving Street in the Denver area. The planning area included the Federal Boulevard corridor in areas of Adams County. Although the goal of the […]
Xcel Energy Corridor Trail
The HIA assessed the health benefits and obstacles to the Xcel Energy Corridor Trail. The trail is planned as part of a larger bicycle and transportation plan. Some of the pathways and health issues explored included safety, accessibility, social capital, social interaction, mental health, physical activity, water and air quality, land use and traffic. The […]
Potential Full-Service Grocery Store Development in a Food Desert
Indiana University Fairbanks School of Public Health, along with the Marion County Public Health Department and Indiana Minority Health Coalition, conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) of a potential full-service grocery store development in the neighborhood locally known as the Meadows, a federally-designated food desert on the northeast side of Indianapolis, Indiana. Access to fresh […]
Active Transportation in Sierra Vista
The Arizona Department of Health Services and the Sierra Vista Metropolitan Planning Organization (SVMPO) are conducting an HIA of several SVMPO policies and projects that support walking and biking. The HIA will focus on how increased physical activity can improve health and explore the connections between the built environment and individual and community health. Its […]
Portland City Council’s Rental Housing Inspections Program
This health impact assessment (HIA) of the City of Portland’s rental housing inspection program compared the program’s two current inspections models, the standard inspection model and the pilot enhanced model in East Portland, finding that both improve the health of rental housing residents but that the enhanced model has greater potential to contribute to improved […]
Developing the Behavioral Health Workforce in Merced County, California
Between 2018 and 2020, a team of Merced health providers, educators, researchers, and community advocates conducted an HIA to understand the impact of workforce shortages related to mild-to-moderate behavioral health (MMBH) concerns and to present ways to decrease the shortages. Merced has still not fully recovered from the housing crisis and recession of the early […]
The Interbay Project
This health impact assessment explored three redevelopment concepts and their connection to health: Industrial Only, Mixed-Use Commercial and Residential, and Mixed-Use Light Industrial, Commercial and Residential. – The creation of this HIA Report was supported by a grant from the Health Impact Project. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily […]
Kern County Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategies
California’s Senate Bill 375 mandates that each regional government in California develop and adopt plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in part through developing Regional Transportation Plans and Sustainable Communities Strategies that will guide local land use, transportation, and other decisions important to greenhouse gas emissions. This is one of two HIAs CRLA is conducting […]
Red Line Regional Commuter Rail-North Carolina
Davidson Design for Life, in collaboration with Davidson College students in a Public Health Policy, Practice and Ethics course, conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) of a proposed regional commuter rail project connecting Mooresville to Charlotte, North Carolina using existing Norfolk Southern rail. The project would offer increased freight business, as well as the opportunity […]
Hawai’i County Agriculture Development Plan
The current Hawai‘i County Agriculture Development Plan (the Agriculture Plan) was commissioned by the Hawai‘i County Department of Research and Development in 2008 and approved by the Hawai‘i County Council in 2010. The purpose of the Agriculture Plan is to serve as a guide for county government, local advocacy groups, and local businesses to revitalize […]
Intersection Improvement in Carpentersville, Illinois
The Kane County, Illinois, Department of Development and Community Services, in partnership with the village of Carpentersville and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, are conducting an HIA of the intersection of Washington and Main streets and the nearby Fox River Trail crossing in Carpentersville. The village’s Old Town Plan was adopted in 2012 and […]
Menu Labeling
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health conducted an HIA to investigate how 2007 California Senate Bill 120 and 2008 Senate Bill 1420 could impact the obesity epidemic. The proposed laws outline requirements for chain restaurants to provide nutritional information. The HIA found that menu labeling in these restaurants would likely result in modest […]
Mystic Island Voluntary Buyout Scenarios
Rutgers University’s Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, in partnership with New Jersey Future and Little Egg Harbor Township, will complete an HIA to assess the potential health implications of a coordinated voluntary buyout strategy in the Mystic Island area, which was severely affected by Hurricane Sandy. Buyout programs use federal funds to help […]
Grade Retention: A Case Study in Cincinnati Public Schools
This Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is studying a pending policy of the Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) on grade retention. Grade retention is the practice used by many schools, public and private, where an underachieving student is not allowed to advance to the next grade and instead is made to repeat the grade. This practice is […]
Quequechan River Rail Trail Phase 2
In partnership with the Southeastern Regional Planning & Economic Development District (SRPEDD) and Fall River Mass in Motion, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council conducted an HIA that examined the proposed Phase 2 of the Quequechan River Rail Trail (QRRT) project in the City of Fall River, Massachusetts. Phase 1 of the project was one mile […]
Central Corridor Area Plan
The San Francisco departments of Public Health (SFDPH) and Planning used the Sustainable Communities Index (SCI) to describe community assets in the Central Corridor and make recommendations for a plan that will guide development between Market, Townsend, Second, and Sixth streets. SCI, developed by SFDPH in 2007, is a system used to analyze communities based […]
Measure H: Preventing and Reducing Homelessness in Los Angeles County
The LA County Department of Public Health conducted an HIA to evaluate the potential health impacts of Measure H, a ballot initiative that would raise LA County’s sales tax by one-quarter of 1 percent for a decade to fund programs designed by the LA County Homeless Initiative. The HIA evaluated homelessness as a public health […]
Cloquet Transportation Planning
The city of Cloquet, in partnership with Arrowhead Regional Development Commission and Carlton County Public Health and Human Services, conducted an HIA to inform revisions to the transportation section of its Comprehensive Plan, which guides the city’s physical, social, and economic development. The HIA used a community survey and literature review to examine the potential […]
South Los Angeles Fast Food Restaurant Density
Community Health Councils, Inc. conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) to analyze the impact of current policies regulating the density of fast food restaurants in South Los Angeles (South LA), and the potential impact of the proposed new community plans and implementing ordinances. From 2007 to 2010, the City of Los Angeles instituted an Interim […]
State Route 520 Bridge
The Seattle and King County Public Health Department, in collaboration with the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, conducted an HIA to evaluate the health impacts of the State Route 520 bridge replacement and HOV project. The HIA focused on several pathways and health issues including air quality, carbon emissions, traffic injury and opportunities for physical […]
Davidson Walks and Rolls: Active Transportation Master Plan
In 2013, Davidson Design for Life and Alta Planning and Design partnered to incorporate health and social equity modeling and economic analysis on the benefits of implementing infrastructure improvements into an active transportation plan. The HIA estimated the current usage of bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure; projected the health, environmental, and social externalities of increased active […]
Columbus North East Area Plan
This HIA, a collaboration between the Healthy Places program at Columbus Public Health and the Department of Development’s Planning Division, looked at six key recommendations from a proposed area plan for northeast Columbus. It explored the impacts these recommendations might have on physical activity, air pollution, mental health, social capital (the relationships between people living […]
King Street Station Multimodal Hub
This rapid health impact assessment (HIA), produced by a team of University of Washington graduate students, identifies potential health concerns and action items as the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) launches a multiyear effort designed to improve infrastructure in the area surrounding King Street Station in the Pioneer Square and Chinatown-International District neighborhoods. The King […]
Omaha Neighborhood Connections
The Douglas County Health Department conducted an HIA to inform connections between new real estate development and existing neighborhoods in the city of Omaha. Neighborhood connectivity is directly related to health outcomes such as increased physical activity, decreased injury, and reduced stress. The HIA identified health and safety issues that should be considered in decisions […]
Fulton Industrial Boulevard Framework
The Fulton County, Georgia, Department of Health Services conducted a rapid HIA of the Fulton Industrial Boulevard Framework, a redevelopment plan to revitalize an area of unincorporated south Fulton County in Atlanta. The plan includes transportation and freight improvements and changes the land use in the corridor, which was a center of industrial development in […]
Kitsap County Transportation Improvement Program Project
The Kitsap Public Health District is conducting an HIA of the Kitsap County Transportation Improvement Program, which proposes to widen the shoulder on each side of Banner Road, a major artery in South Kitsap, Washington, to improve active transportation infrastructure along the roadway. The HIA will inform the county’s funding priorities for the program and […]
Proctor Creek’s Boone Boulevard Green Street
Proctor Creek in the Atlanta metropolitan area has been placed on the impaired waters list because it does not meet state water quality standards for fecal coliform. The topography, prevalence of impervious surfaces in the watershed, and strains on the combined sewer system have contributed to pervasive flooding in the communities along Proctor Creek and […]
Overheating Buildings in Coastal Communities: Homes, Health Impacts, and Opportunities for Collaboration in San Francisco
The San Francisco Department of Public Health Program on Health, Equity, and Sustainability, conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) to address increased heat vulnerability of coastal communities and overheating problems in a high-rise condominium building in San Francisco, California. The HIA focuses on how modern building trends, such as open-floor concepts and floor-to-ceiling windows, may […]
Baltimore City’s Comprehensive Zoning Code Rewrite
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 […]
Regional Climate Action Plan Strategies in Western Massachusetts
The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission issued the Pioneer Valley Climate Action and Clean Energy Plan in 2013 to identify strategies that local governments and stakeholders could undertake to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change. The commission collaborated with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to conduct an HIA that explored the health […]
Daniel Morgan Avenue “Road Diet”
The HIA examined the potential health impacts of the proposed re-striping and “road diet” of a downtown Spartanburg arterial road, Daniel Morgan Avenue (DMA). A road diet is a technique to reduce the number of lanes on a roadway to provide safe space for pedestrians and cyclists. The proposed road diet in Spartanburg would reduce […]
San Francisco Living Wage Ordinance
In response to a request from a city legislator, the San Francisco Department of Public Health conducted an HIA of a proposed city ordinance that would require city contractors and property leaseholders to pay their employees a “living wage” of $11.00 per hour. The HIA quantitatively estimated the potential health effects of the ordinance, predicting […]
Crook County Master Plan
The Crook County Public Health Department conducted an HIA of current pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure in Prineville, Oregon to inform an updated community plan. The HIA focused on improving overall safety and accessibility of sidewalks, walking paths, and bicycle use, and identifying areas where specific actions can be taken to address pedestrian safety. The HIA […]
Off-Premise Alcohol Outlets
This HIA adds to the scope of a previous HIA that examined the relationship between liquor outlets and violence. The project team assessed the relationship between high concentrations of liquor outlets and violence, with the goal of informing the current ‘non-conforming alcohol outlet amortization proposal’ to ensure that amortized alcohol outlet licenses do not relocate […]
Draft 2018 University of California, Merced Long Range Development Plan
Merced County is fast-growing and has a higher proportion of residents in poverty compared with California or the U.S., broadly. In addition, the residential vacancy rates are low, making affordable housing scarce. Individuals and families struggling to pay for housing have limited resources for other essentials, such as food, clothing, health care and medication, utilities, […]
Healthy Planning in Pasadena, Texas
Located in the Houston metropolitan area, Pasadena is the second-largest city in Harris County, Texas, and is near two of the four largest refineries in the U.S. Pasadena’s Code of Ordinances states that the director of planning should coordinate the development of a city plan that covers multiple years. The HIA provided recommendations to the […]
Sellwood Bridge Replacement
The HIA, undertaken by the Multnomah County Health Department, assessed the potential health benefits and adverse impacts of the proposed Sellwood Bridge replacement in Multnomah County, Oregon. The HIA addressed a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) that had been undertaken by Multnomah County. The purpose of the HIA was to forecast the positive and negative […]
Alcohol Outlet Density in the Greenbush-Vilas Neighborhood, Madison, Wisconsin
The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) of an Alcohol Limiting Density Ordinance (ALDO) to determine how the health of residents and visitors of the Greenbush-Vilas Neighborhood would be affected. The neighborhood is adjacent to the football stadium and campus of the University of Wisconsin. To address the consequences […]
Providing Free or Reduced-Fare Student Bus Passes to Reduce Truancy
This health impact assessment (HIA) evaluated the potential academic, health, and economic impacts of subsidizing the costs of student bus passes in Los Angeles County. The Los Angeles County School Attendance Task Force (SATF) was interested in developing a program to further subsidize the cost of bus passes for low-income students in order to increase […]
North Platte Mobile Home Ordinance
The West Central District Health Department conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) on proposed changes to North Platte City ordinances that govern mobile home housing conditions. The proposed policy changes would consolidate into a single ordinance language that is currently spread among different sections and ordinances. Under the proposed policy changes, mobile homes brought into […]
PlanBTV South End
The Vermont Department of Health, along with the city of Burlington, conducted an HIA to determine the potential health impacts of proposed development decisions in planBTV, a long-range plan for Burlington’s South End neighborhood. The HIA assessed potential effects of land use, transportation and recreation, and community services on chronic diseases and mental health, focusing […]
Glendale Riverwalk
The Tri-County Health Department, in collaboration with the City of Glendale and Communities Putting Prevention to Work, conducted an HIA on the Glendale Riverwalk, a 1.5 million square foot commercial and entertainment complex in Colorado. The HIA focused on active transit in the city of Glendale-particularly walkability, bikeability and public transit usage-as it relates to […]
Alameda County Goods Movement Planning for Health
Through a grant to the San Francisco Study Center, the Ditching Dirty Diesel Collaborative conducted an HIA to inform development of long-range strategies for moving goods efficiently, reliably, and sustainably within, to, from, and through the county by road, rail, air, and water to be included in the final freight component of the Alameda County […]
City of Minneapolis Above the Falls Master Plan
This HIA informed revisions to the City of Minneapolis Above the Falls Master Plan, which will guide redevelopment of an industrial area along the upper Mississippi riverfront in Minneapolis. The Master Plan, being drafted by the City of Minneapolis Department of Community Planning & Economic Development, is intended to increase public access and use of […]
Division Street Gateway
The City of Spokane is redeveloping the Division Street Gateway, a little over a mile of State Highway 2 that runs through the heart of downtown Spokane from its inception at Interstate 90 to its intersection with the Spokane River and north to the Gonzaga University neighborhood. This is essentially the city’s front door and […]
Fort McPherson Interim Zoning
The HIA addressed the health effects of zoning provisions on the nearby residents’ nutrition, physical activity and social cohesion during the interim-use phase of a major redevelopment and new land use plan for Atlanta’s Fort McPherson’s Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process. The zoning provisions that govern permitted uses of land, green space and transportation […]
Downtown-Westside Baltimore
At the request of the city of Baltimore and the University of Maryland, the Baltimore City Health Department conducted a rapid HIA to identify potential health equity issues associated with redevelopment of the Lexington Market area of the Downtown-Westside neighborhood. The redevelopment would feature mixed-income, mixed-use development and implement the Complete Streets approach to roadway […]
San Diego Bus Rapid Transit Station
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 […]
Climate Smart Community Scenarios
Transportation produces 25% of the Portland, Oregon Metro region’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, contributing to a warming climate that could severely impact our health and quality of life. Our climate is already changing, and the way we work together to prevent future changes will have both immediate and long-term impacts on our well being. Changes […]
Rochester Waterfront Revitalization Plan
This HIA, conducted by the University of Rochester, supplemented the development of the city of Rochester’s Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP) with health-related community engagement, data collection, and analysis. The LWRP will help inform city, private, state, and federal decisions affecting area waterways and shorelines into the next decade and will guide land and water […]
Arrest Records in Employment Decisions
This mental health impact assessment, or MHIA, focused on a proposal to update the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) Policy Guidance on the Consideration of Arrest Records in Employment Decisions. Having undergone an update for the first time in over twenty years, one proposed change was to prohibit employers from asking about arrests as […]
Portland to Lake Oswego Transit Project
Oregon Public Health Institute (OPHI), in collaboration with the local transportation planning agency, conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) of transit alternatives for a new proposed public transit corridor in Portland, Oregon. Transit alternatives included light rail or street car, enhanced bus service, or no transportation improvements. The HIA was done in conjunction with an […]
East Aldine District’s Town Center Development
The East Aldine District (EAD), located in unincorporated Harris County, Texas, just north of downtown Houston, was established by the state Legislature to enhance the physical, social, and economic well-being of East Aldine. The EAD’s services are sustained by a 1-cent retail sales tax and are guided by a service plan to respond to issues […]
California Senate Bill 622: Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax
Community Health Councils Inc., along with other members of the Los Angeles County Healthy Community Collaborative, conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) of California Senate Bill 622 (S.B. 622), which would impose a penny-per-ounce tax on distributors of sugar-sweetened beverages manufactured in the state. All revenue (taxes, penalties, and interest) collected under S.B. 622 would […]
Advanced Metering Infrastructure
The National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership (NCMLP) at Boston Medical Center conducted an HIA of a pilot program run by Illinois’ largest electric utility, Commonwealth Edison. The project assessed the potential health effects of implementing “smart metering” technology in western metropolitan Chicago. Health effects included how these innovations could alter the risk of potentially life-threatening […]
Employer-Sponsored Transit Subsidies
Data collected from the EasyRide HIA will provide new information that may influence employer decisions to adopt or renew contracts with MTA to provide free or discounted transit passes to their employees. The HIA will highlight health benefits of using transit for daily commuting in Davidson County, such as increased physical activity, improved air quality, […]
Clark County Highway 99 Sub-Area Plan
The Clark County Community Planning Department in Vancouver, Washington, developed a Sub-Area Plan to revitalize Highway 99 and surrounding neighborhoods. Clark County Public Health conducted an HIA, which was included in the plan. The HIA explored the plan’s potential effects on several health issues, including access to healthy foods, opportunities for physical activity, reliance on […]
Proposed Weymouth Compressor Station
In collaboration with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, the Massachusetts Departments of Environmental Protection and Public Health conducted an HIA on a proposed natural gas transmission compressor station to be constructed in the town of Weymouth, Massachusetts. The proposal is part of a private sector energy infrastructure investment plan and is subject to federal and […]
South Lincoln Homes
A health impact assessment was completed for a master plan for the South Lincoln housing redevelopment owned by the Denver Housing Authority (DHA). EnviroHealth Consulting completed the HIA and subcontracted to MITHUN firm who was hired by DHA to complete the master plan. In the neighborhood, approximately 38% live in poverty, more than half of […]
Pinal Creek Trail
The Gila County Division of Health and Emergency Management and Paramount Public Health Services conducted an HIA of a proposed trail along a portion of the Pinal Creek Basin in Globe, Arizona. The HIA explored potential health impacts associated with physical activity, community enrichment and civic pride, social cohesion, vehicle trips, public and personal safety, […]
City of Worcester Union Hill Revitalization
The City of Worcester is beginning a comprehensive neighborhood revitalization strategy in the Union Hill area, a neighborhood that has experienced decline in recent decades. The Worcester Division of Public Health, along with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and staff from the Worcester Office of Economic Development, will conduct a rapid health impact assessment […]
Project HEAL (Health.Equity.Art.Learning)
The Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness, IDEAS xLab, and the Commonwealth Institute of Kentucky conducted an HIA to examine how implementing Project HEAL could affect health in the Smoketown neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky. Project HEAL is a community development model that uses arts and culture activities to increase civic engagement and drive […]
Oasis on Ballou Mixed-Use Development
This HIA, conducted by Health Resources in Action, examined the impacts of a proposed multi-use development of land parcels in Boston’s Dorchester Codman Square neighborhood. The Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation (CSNDC) was considering potential uses of the adjacent land parcels at 100 Ballou Avenue. The HIA examined the potential uses of the parcels as […]
Cargo Atlanta Citywide Freight Study
The Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development conducted an HIA, funded by a grant from the Health Impact Project, to inform the Cargo Atlanta Citywide Freight Study, which developed policies to facilitate efficient freight movement in and around the city. The HIA examined the potential health implications of various policies, including diesel emissions standards, […]
Comprehensive Cluster Residential Ordinance-Milford, New Hampshire
The Nashua Regional Planning Commission conducted an HIA on a new comprehensive cluster residential regulation in the Town of Milford, New Hampshire. The regulation would remove zoning barriers to higher-density housing developments for projects that offer inclusionary and affordable housing; conservation and open space; mobility; and services. The HIA focused on strategies that can be […]
North Birmingham Community Framework Plan
The School of City and Regional Planning at the Georgia Institute of Technology conducted a rapid HIA to support healthy development in North Birmingham, Alabama, through implementation of the North Birmingham Community Framework Plan. The goal of the plan, created in conjunction with the first comprehensive plan update in 50 years, is to enhance the […]
City of Decatur Community Transportation Plan
The Georgia Tech Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development conducted a rapid health impact assessment (HIA) on the Decatur, Georgia, Community Transportation Plan, focusing on potential health impacts of transportation and patterns of land use on safety, social connections, and physical activity. The HIA found that the plan could lead to a slight reduction […]
Goodhue County Zoning Districts
Goodhue County Health and Human Services, in partnership with the Goodhue County Land Use Management Department, will conduct an HIA to inform decisions around the county’s zoning districts. The assessment will provide information on the potential health benefits resulting from the creation of bike and walking trails in recreational areas, as well as the possible […]
Saving Energy, Improving Health: Potential Impacts of Energy Efficiency Program Design on Noise and Air Pollution Exposure
California Assembly Bill 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act, was enacted in 2006. The bill sets the 2020 greenhouse gas emissions goal at 1990 levels and provides a policy driver for energy efficiency programs. The San Francisco Department of Public Health recently conducted a health impact assessment related to the potential health outcomes of residential […]
SE 122nd Ave Pilot Project/East Portland
This HIA was completed by the Oregon Public Health Institute to inform the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability’s area plan for a neighborhood or Portland. The HIA addressed how the plan would affect opportunities for physical activity, access to healthful foods, traffic safety, air quality, and community cohesion. – This Health Impact […]
City of Ramsey Threshold
The city of Ramsey, Minnesota, in collaboration with Design for Health and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, conducted an HIA on the potential health effects of the city’s comprehensive plan update to identify what progress has been made on key health indicators and opportunities for further improvement. The HIA found that Ramsey provides […]
Phoenix Light Rail Transit Extension
This health impact assessment examined the transit extension connecting South Phoenix, a disadvantaged neighborhood, to the existing light-rail line of the city. Valley Metro, a public transportation provider in the Phoenix area, is the key decision-maker and has supported previous HIA work in Arizona. The HIA addressed improved access to health care services for the […]
Crossroads Redevelopment Area
The Douglas County Health Department and its partners conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) of the Crossroads Redevelopment Area, a 239-acre shopping mall complex located at one of the busiest intersections in Omaha. The mall was purchased by a developer in 2010, with plans to convert it to a mixed-used area. Currently, the mall has […]
Spring Garden Street Greenway
University of Pennsylvania graduate students and fellows conducted this health impact assessment (HIA) on the proposed Spring Garden Street Greenway in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 2.2 mile long greenway would connect the existing Delaware River and Schuylkill River Trails. The HIA examined how the greenway could potentially impact health through increased opportunities for active transportation and […]
Indy Parks Comprehensive Plan
The Indiana University School of Public Health, in partnership with the Marion County Public Health Department and the Indianapolis Parks and Recreation Department, conducted an HIA of the Indy Parks Comprehensive Plan. The plan is conducted every five years to categorize current parks and greenways, as well as establish future needs of each township served […]
Single-Room Occupancy Hotels in San Francisco
The San Francisco Department of Public Health conducted an HIA to explore how three policies it was considering could improve health for residents in single-room occupancy hotels, which serve as the biggest source of inexpensive housing for the city’s most vulnerable populations, such as seniors, adults with disabilities, and children. They typically offer an 8-by-10 […]
Eastern Neighborhoods Community Plans
The San Francisco Department of Public Health conducted an HIA in response to community requests in the Mission, South of Market, and Potrero Hill neighborhoods. The HIA addressed a range of factors in the community plans that could affect health, including housing affordability; the potential that low-income residents could be displaced; the availability of safe […]
North Avenue Corridor in Burlington, Vermont
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 […]
Oakland Education to Employment Academy
Youth UpRising conducted an HIA to inform the Oakland school board’s planning and implementation of a secondary, specialized learning academy within a low-performing high school in East Oakland. Located in a community with high crime, violence, poverty, and unemployment, Castlemont High School faces disinvestment, decreased enrollment, and a dropout rate of 40 percent. The academy […]
Healthy T for a Healthy Region
Working with colleagues from the Harvard School of Public Health and the Boston University School of Public Health, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) of the two proposals of fare increases and service cuts aimed at closing the Boston T’s projected deficit of $161 million this year. Under Scenario […]
Restorative Justice in San Diego
The Mid-City Community Advocacy Network (MCC) conducted an HIA to inform proposals by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors and the San Diego City Council to try to improve the outcomes of juveniles in the justice system by adopting “restorative justice.” This means creating opportunities for victims and offenders to discuss the crime and […]
MountainElements: Comprehensive Planning in 8 Counties
MountainWise, a collaboration of eight public health departments in Western North Carolina, is conducting an eight county health impact assessment (HIA) called MountainElements that will inform decisions about each county’s comprehensive plan, focusing on the transportation and parks and recreation sections of each plan. Three plans are currently under development and two will begin soon. […]
Globeville and Elyria Swansea Neighborhood Plan HIA
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 […]
Aberdeen Pedestrian Transportation Plan
In August 2011, the Town of Aberdeen in Moore County released the proposed Aberdeen Pedestrian Transportation Plan (APTP). The goals of the APTP are to create more walkable spaces, increase pedestrian connectivity, calm traffic patterns, and increase pedestrian safety (APTP, 2011). During the fall semester of 2011, the team collaborated with Melissa Watford of FirstHealth […]
Shared-Use Roosevelt-School Properties as Community Space
The Maricopa County Department of Public Health conducted an HIA to inform the Roosevelt School District Governing Board and superintendent as they considered authorizing community use of district-owned properties, including school buildings, open spaces, and vacant lots. The HIA analyzed how access to school properties could increase opportunities for community enrichment and civic pride, healthy […]
Demolition of a Lead Painted Bridge Adjacent to a Residential Area
The demolition of a 60-year-old lead painted bridge in Cincinnati is expected to affect a significant number of residents in the neighborhood next to the structure. The Cincinnati Health Department’s health impact assessment (HIA) was initiated because of community concern over the possible increase in ambient air lead and ground dust lead levels. The study […]
Healthy Corridor for All
ISAIAH, TakeAction Minnesota and PolicyLink worked together in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area to conduct an HIA of proposed land-use changes related to a new light rail transit line that will connect the Twin Cities. The Central Corridor Light Rail Transit line, which runs through low-income and immigrant communities in St. Paul, could have wide-reaching, positive […]
San Francisco Road Pricing
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 […]
Second Street Corridor-Manchester, NH
The Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission (SNHPC) conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) that examined the potential health impacts of the Second Street Corridor Project in Manchester, New Hampshire. The Second Street Corridor Access and Mixed Use Overlay Zoning Project is funded by a grant provided to the City of Manchester through the New Hampshire […]
South Thornton Revitalization Subarea Plan
In 2011, a Colorado-based nonprofit conducted an HIA to determine the impact of South Thornton’s revitalization subarea plan on healthy eating and active living. The HIA focused on key indicators derived from the Healthy Development Measurement Tool: public infrastructure and access to goods and services; social connections and communication; and transportation options. Potential health outcomes […]
Macon, Georgia Second Street Redevelopment Plan
The Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development (CQGRD) partnered with the Georgia Department of Public Health to conduct an HIA to explore the health impact associated with the redevelopment of a downtown corridor in Macon, Georgia. The population in the study area faces a variety of health challenges, such as low socioeconomic status and […]
State Education Integration Task Force Recommendations
This HIA looked at the impact of the Minnesota legislature’s decisions regarding the adoption of recommendations from a state education task force on addressing school integration and improving education outcomes for students of color. The purpose of the recommendations is to close the achievement gap among students, which means improving educational outcomes such as graduation […]
Roundabout at 53rd Street and West Hills Road
The Benton County Health Department conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) to assess the potential impacts of installing a roundabout instead of a traditional traffic signal at the intersection of 53rd Street and West Hills Road outside of Corvallis, Oregon. There is an assisted living and retirement facility at the intersection, as well as a […]
Robbinsville Pedestrian Connectivity Plan
This rapid health impact assessment (HIA) was integrated into the planning process for the Robbinsville (NC) Pedestrian and Greenway Plans. The HIA used research and literature reviews, and a stakeholder workshop to determine how the plans could impact physical health by promoting active transportation and mental health by fostering social connections. The HIA made several […]
Fresh Foods Market in Central City New Orleans
Once a vibrant commercial corridor, the communities along Claiborne Avenue in the Central City neighborhood of New Orleans have suffered economic divestment since the 1960s. Because Claiborne is a major transportation and commercial artery, the corridor is slated for investment and redevelopment, and the Livable Claiborne Communities Initiative (LCC) would like to ensure that health […]
Street Vendor Legalization and Student Nutrition in South Los Angeles
Community Health Councils Inc. conducted an HIA of a proposal to offer permits for sidewalk vending in Los Angeles, focusing on how legalizing vendors could change the nutritional behaviors of students in South Los Angeles. Sidewalk vending is prohibited citywide, but the City Council is considering creation of a vendor permit application process. The HIA […]
Jack London Senior Housing
The HIA addressed a proposed residential and commercial development at the Jack London Gateway (JLG) in Oakland, California. The project included 55 units of low-income senior housing and an additional 14,000 feet of retail space in an underutilized parking lot of an existing shopping plaza. The site is close to several interstate freeways and to […]
Long Beach Downtown Plan
Human Impact Partners, in collaboration with East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice and Californians for Justice, conducted a rapid HIA to examine how the proposed Long Beach Downtown Plan would impact the health and employment of residents, particularly low-income and vulnerable populations. The Long Beach Downtown Plan is a 25-year plan to add approximately 5,000 […]
Oak to Ninth Avenue
The University of California Berkeley Health Impact Group conducted an HIA on the ‘Oak to Ninth’ waterfront development project. The proposed project includes residential units, commercial space, parking facilities, public open space, renovated marinas and a wetlands restoration area on approximately 64 acres of waterfront property owned by the Port of Oakland. The HIA focused […]
Trinity Plaza Housing Redevelopment
This HIA addressed a proposal to demolish an older apartment building with over 360 rent-controlled units, and replace them with 1,400 market-rate condominiums. The analysis concluded that displacing current residents could have serious adverse health effects, such as increasing food insecurity and hunger, mental health problems, and the risk of homelessness (which has implications for […]
Shelter-in-Place Policy
Shelter-in-place policies aim to support residents’ ability to remain in their homes after an earthquake or other major disaster. The San Francisco Department of Public Health conducted an HIA to analyze the city and county’s capacity to support these policies if such an event occurred, and highlighted areas that warrant further attention to better protect […]
Englewood Line Greenway
The Illinois Public Health Institute (IPHI) and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) conducted an HIA of a proposed greenway trail along a 2-mile corridor in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. It considered how the trail would affect community safety, access to and use of green space and parks, traffic-related air pollution, brownfields and vacant lots, […]
City of Independence Complete Streets
In June of 2011, the City of Independence passed a complete streets policy. The first part of implementing the complete streets policy included the addition of bike lanes. The HIA addressed the health impacts of placement of bike lanes and made recommendations on how to improve physical activity, healthy food access, and safety. The HIA […]
Sunnydale Public Housing Redevelopment
The San Francisco Department of Public Health is undertaking an HIA to provide information on the planning of a public housing redevelopment. The effort is part of an initiative to link housing and public health goals in the San Francisco area. Other similar HIAs underway—addressing redevelopment of Potrero and Westside Courts public housing sites—will focus […]
PlanOKC HIA
The Oklahoma City Planning Department, in partnership with the Oklahoma City-County Health Department and the city Office of Sustainability, conducted an HIA of “planokc,” a comprehensive plan consisting of eight major elements: future land use; transportation; environmental and natural resources; communities; preservation, appearance, and culture; parks and recreation; economic development; and public services. The HIA […]
South 12th Avenue Corridor
The Pima County Health Department, in partnership with the City of Tucson, Arizona, conducted a rapid HIA of proposed infrastructure improvements to South 12th Avenue in Tucson. The proposed improvements included bus shelters, sidewalks, lighting, and green space. Using data analyses already conducted by the University of Arizona, the HIA examined potential health impacts associated […]
Still/Lyell Freeway Channel in Excelsior District
This HIA addressed the traffic and transportation system in the Excelsior District of San Francisco. It was undertaken as a collaboration between PODER, a citizen’s group, and the San Francisco Department of Public Health. The HIA focused on how the transportation system—which includes a freeway and heavy traffic corridors running through the neighborhood—may affect the […]
Pittsburg Railroad Avenue Transit-Oriented Development
The HIA addressed the Pittsburg Railroad Avenue Specific Plan, which included a new commuter rail (BART) station located in the middle of State Highway 4. The proposed station would be surrounded by “transit-oriented development,” which would include almost 1,600 housing units, 450,000 square feet of retail and commercial space, and pedestrian and bike improvements. All […]
Open Air Burning in La Crosse County, Wisconsin
The La Crosse County Health Department conducted a rapid health impact assessment (HIA) to determine the potential health impacts of creating a uniform open air burning policy within La Crosse County and how to assist communities in expanding adherence to Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and state statute codes regarding the restriction of materials to […]
Treasure Island Transportation Plan
This HIA, funded by the California Department of Transportation and written by the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, was done as part of a transportation plan for Treasure Island. The HIA focused on ways that the transportation system could be designed and implemented to maximize opportunities for active […]
Lincoln Park Small Area Plan
The Minnesota Department of Health conducted an HIA of the potential health effects of the small area plan for the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Duluth. The HIA analyzed how the plan could affect community health and offered recommendations to maximize potential benefits and reduce negative impacts, with a focus on four topics: land use and […]
Non-Motorized Transportation Plan and Climate Sustainability Plan Recommendations
In March 2012, project partners received funding from the Michigan Department of Community Health to conduct a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) of key non-motorized transportation elements of the City of East Lansing’s draft Climate Sustainability Plan and Non-Motorized Transportation Plan along the Burcham-Hagadorn intersecting corridors. The funding for this HIA comes from a grant awarded […]
Lower South District Plan
As part of Philadelphia’s zoning and planning process, the City Department of Public Health and Planning Commission conducted an HIA to better understand the health implications of implementing three elements of the Lower South District Plan. The Lower South District Plan is one of 18 District Plans that make up the Comprehensive Plan, Philadelphia 2035. […]
Delridge Corridor Multimodal Improvement Project
University of Washington graduate students, in partnership with the Seattle Departments of Transportation and Planning and Development, conducted a rapid HIA of the Delridge Corridor Project. The plan is part of a broader city effort to transform major roads and neighboring streets into safer and healthier public places. The health pathways explored included zoning, mobility, […]
Maricopa County Sodium and Nutrition Standards Procurement Policy
Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH) conducted an HIA to evaluate county departments’ food procurement policies and nutrition and sodium standards. The HIA explored how proposed policies intended to reduce sodium consumption through better access to affordable, healthy food options could improve public health and cut costs for the county by lowering residents’ blood […]
Topeka Bike Share
The Kansas University School of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, in partnership with the Topeka Metropolitan Transit Authority, conducted an HIA to inform the implementation and possible expansion of a bike share program in Topeka, Kansas. The assessment looked at how bike sharing, cycling, and active transport could affect physical activity levels, safety and incidences […]
Derby District Redevelopment
The HIA looked at the proposed redevelopment of the Derby District in Colorado’s Commerce City commercial core. The HIA considered how the redevelopment might affect issues, such as opportunities for physical activity; access to supermarkets that stock fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods; traffic and personal safety. The HIA made many specific recommendations for measures […]
Aerotropolis Atlanta
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, […]
Parking Management in Downtown Omaha
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 […]
Farmers Field
In 2012, Human Impact Partners worked with the Los Angeles Community Action Network (LA CAN), the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA), and Physicians for Social Responsibility Los Angeles (PSR-LA) to conduct a rapid HIA of the proposed construction of the 72,000 seat Farmers Field football stadium in downtown Los Angeles. The HIA included […]
Traffic Speed Impacts on State Highway 99 in Corvallis, Oregon
Benton County Health Services (BCHS) conducted an HIA to assess potential impacts of a 25 mile-per-hour speed limit on a one-mile stretch of Highway 99W, which is South Third Street, in south Corvallis, Oregon. The HIA investigated potential impacts that a lower speed limit would have on active transportation, traffic safety, social networks, and access […]
Santa Monica Airport
In response to concerns from residents living in the surrounding community of the Santa Monica Airport (SMO), pediatric residents training at the UCLA Medical Center involved in a Community Health and Advocacy Training project conducted this rapid HIA of the health impacts of SMO on the surrounding Santa Monica and Los Angeles communities. The HIA […]
Family Responsibility Statements in Judicial Decisions
The Special Project for Families Affected by Incarceration and the Louisville Department of Public Health and Wellness conducted an HIA to examine the impact of using a family responsibility statement during the sentencing of a parent or primary caregiver. In the Louisville metropolitan area, the growing and disparate impact of parental incarceration on children’s health […]
City Heights Skatepark
Mid-City Community Advocacy Network and its Youth Council worked with Human Impact Partners to conduct an HIA to examine health and equity implications of a skatepark proposal in City Heights, a neighborhood in San Diego. Obesity rates in City Heights are higher than those in San Diego County overall, and the neighborhood has an inadequate […]
Addressing Mental Health and Physical Activity in K-12 Children in Colorado Springs
The Colorado School of Public Health and Children’s Hospital Colorado collaborated on a pilot project to integrate HIA into hospital community benefit activities. The HIA conducted a program assessment and reviewed literature and evidence-based approaches to implementing school-based health centers (SBHCs). SBHCs provide medical and nonmedical services to children who are underinsured, uninsured, or do […]
Baltimore-Washington Rail Intermodal Facility HIA
This HIA determined the impacts of the proposed Baltimore-Washington Rail Intermodal Facility at CSX’s existing Mount Clare Yard in southwest Baltimore City. The facility would transfer freight cargo between trains and trucks, and operate twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week. The facility poses potential health concerns that include air and noise pollution and […]
Safe Routes to School Health Impact Assessment of Skiles Test and Crestview Elementary Schools
Indiana University Department of Public Health, in partnership with the Marion County Health Department, the Indianapolis Parks and Recreation Department, Binford Redevelopment and Growth, Crestview Elementary, and Skiles Test Elementary, conducted an HIA to inform the decision to seek infrastructure funds for implementing a Safe Routes to School program in the Binford community of Indianapolis, […]
Omaha Neighborhood Redevelopment Plan
The Douglas County Health Department conducted an HIA to inform the Omaha Planning Department and City Council’s Deer Park Neighborhood Redevelopment Plan, which will rehabilitate 33 existing properties, construct five new homes, and assemble a range of partners to address future needs of neighborhood residents. Housing has implications for such health issues as lead poisoning, […]
Vancouver Comprehensive Plan Revision
Clark County Public Health conducted a rapid HIA to examine the potential health impacts of Vancouver, Washington’s comprehensive plan revision. The HIA focused on two determinants of health: physical activity and access to healthy food. The HIA found that the proposed planning, policy and zoning changes will likely have positive impacts on the community by […]
Waters’ Edge Development
At the request of the developer, Actual Communities LLC, Safe and Healthy Communities conducted a rapid HIA of Waters’ Edge, a proposed development for residents 55 and older in Fort Collins, Colorado. The HIA focused on maximizing health benefits for the 900 homes, retail businesses, and services proposed for the community and on how residents […]
Spokane Downtown Plan Update: Pedestrian Strategy
The Lands Council, City of Spokane, and Spokane Regional Health District conducted a rapid HIA of the pedestrian portion of the multi-modal transportation strategy included in the downtown plan update for Spokane, Washington. The HIA focused on the potential health effects of air quality, noise, safety, mental health, parks and natural space, private goods and […]
Neenah-Menasha Sewerage Commission Biosolids Storage Facility
The purpose of this rapid Health Impact Assessment (HIA) was to discuss the negative and positive health impacts of a biosolids storage facility being proposed in the Town of Greenville, and to identify ways to decrease any adverse health impacts of the proposed biosolids storage facility. The Greenville community expressed concern about the health risks […]
US Highway 550 Improvements
This HIA looked at a Department of Transportation proposal to redesign a five-lane, federal highway that runs through the small town of Cuba, New Mexico. This rapid HIA, initiated by a community advocacy group, looked at the potential impacts of proposed highway improvements, such as better lighting and sidewalks, on community health, walkability, pedestrian safety, […]
Divine Mercy Development
In 2010, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) received a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) on the Minnesota Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW). MDH conducted a desktop HIA on the Divine Mercy Development mixed-use EAW to inform general recommendations of incorporating health and climate […]
Los Angeles Living Wage Ordinance
The HIA addressed the health implications of the City of Los Angeles’ Living Wage Ordinance, which gave an employer the ability to choose whether to provide health insurance or additional income. Increased income and increased likelihood of health insurance are the major factors driving the ordinance’s impacts on health, and for this analysis mortality was […]
Fitchburg-Nine Springs Golf Course
Public Health Madison and Dane County, Wisconsin, conducted an HIA of proposed updates to the master plan for a 33-acre city park property, currently used as the Nine Springs Golf Course in Fitchburg, Wisconsin. The land lies in an environmental conservation corridor, is surrounded by several large-scale apartment communities, and is located several blocks from […]
Interstate 75 Focus Area Study
This HIA reviewed the final recommendations of the Revive Cincinnati: Neighborhoods of the Mill Creek Valley for health impacts to adjacent neighborhood residents arising from infrastructure improvements to Interstate 75. I-75 is a major north-south transportation corridor that bisects the City of Cincinnati and impacts a number of diverse neighborhoods. – This Health Impact Assessment […]
24th Street Road Diet
This HIA assessed a proposal by the City of Omaha to include a center turn lane on South 24th Street – the major corridor through Omaha’s Latino community. This type of change, which involves going from four lanes to three, is commonly called a road diet. The HIA considered the impacts on the top concerns for South […]
Gerena Elementary School
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, along with the Massachusetts Departments of Public Health and Environmental Protection, is conducting a health impact assessment to help the City of Springfield, Massachusetts compare options for renovation and improvement at the Gerena Elementary School. – This Health Impact Assessment Report first appeared in The Cross-Sector Toolkit for Health. The […]
Fort DuPont Redevelopment Project
The Fort DuPont Master Planning and Feasibility Analysis began in October 2012 with the aim of determining the best future use of the underutilized 450-acre site owned/managed by the State. The adoption of a final master plan for the Fort DuPont complex will set the direction for future development of the site; however, the plan […]
Power Generation Alternatives for the Michoud Natural Gas Plants
The Louisiana Public Health Institute, in partnership with the Alliance for Affordable Energy, conducted an HIA of a proposed natural gas combustion turbine plant in the New Orleans East neighborhood. It would be built on the site of the Michoud Power Plant, a steam turbine facility that was decommissioned in June 2016. The health impact […]
SE McLoughlin Boulevard Active Transportation Road Safety Audit
Oregon Public Health Institute, in partnership with Clackamas County Public Health and the Clackamas County Department of Transportation and Development, conducted an HIA in 2014 on a road safety audit conducted on a half-mile section of McLoughlin Boulevard (also known as OR 99E) in Jennings Lodge, Oregon. Its aim was to give transportation department staff […]
Adams Park
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 […]
Healthy Neighborhoods Equity Fund
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 […]
Metro Westside Subway Extension (Wilshire Corridor)
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 […]
University District Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge
The Spokane University District Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge Health Impact Assessment (HIA) was developed to help inform decision makers about potential health impacts that development of a pedestrian bridge in the University District will have on the current and projected population who will live, work, and recreate within a quarter-mile radius of the bridge. The bridge project […]
Pioneer Square Neighborhood Plan
A graduate class at the University of Washington conducted an HIA of the Pioneer Square 2015 plan, A Strategy for Seattle’s First Neighborhood. Pioneer Square, Seattle’s original neighborhood, is home to a large percentage of the city’s mentally ill, disabled, and homeless individuals and families. The HIA considered the connections between neighborhood characteristics, such as […]
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
This HIA informed the Illinois General Assembly’s deliberations on legislative proposals to seek a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to ban the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for purchasing sugar-sweetened beverages. – This Health Impact Assessment Report first appeared in The Cross-Sector Toolkit for Health. The Cross-Sector Toolkit for […]
South Hill Redevelopment
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, in collaboration with the city of Puyallup, conducted an HIA to assess potential health impacts of a proposed redevelopment plan for the neighborhood of South Hill in Washington state. The HIA focused on identifying existing health conditions, risks and needs in the community, and to assess the long term impacts […]
South Central Minnesota Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Plan
In collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Health, the Region Nine Development Commission conducted a rapid HIA on the Region Nine Climate Change Adaptation Plan soil and water conservation strategy. The report provided detailed recommendations for improving conservation practices, strategies to preserve topsoil and agricultural productivity during extreme weather events or conditions, managing the impact […]
Gary/New Duluth Small Area Plan
This HIA was conducted in parallel to development of the Gary/New Duluth Small Area Plan. The City of Duluth Long-Range Planning developed the small area plan, which included objectives to improve blighted properties, develop vacant land, clean contaminated land, connect sidewalks and add bike lanes, promote businesses and job growth, increase green space and connect […]
Cole Creek
The Douglas County Health Department conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) of 40 vacant lots along a 3-mile stretch of Cole Creek in Omaha, Nebraska. The vacant lots were created as part of an erosion control and flood-buyout program. The HIA informed the City of Omaha Parks, Recreation, and Public Property Department how this vacant […]
Boston Living Wage Ordinance
The Boston Public Health Commission conducted an HIA to inform upcoming decisions by the mayor and City Council on proposed changes to the Boston Living Wage Ordinance. The law, first passed in 1998, was designed to ensure that employees of city contractors would earn a wage that allows a family of four to live at […]
Healthy Community Design in Liberty, Missouri
In partnership with the Liberty Community Health Action Team and the city of Liberty, the Clay County Public Health Center used a rapid HIA to determine the health outcomes related to having sidewalks on one versus two sides of the street and of grid versus cul-de-sac street designs. The HIA team conducted a communitywide survey […]
Parks, Recreation, and Public Spaces Plan in Davidson, North Carolina
In 2013, Davidson Design for Life (DD4L) led a health impact assessment (HIA) in partnership with the Davidson Parks and Recreation Department, Kostelec Planning, and LandDesign to examine how parks, recreation, and public spaces can impact the seven dimensions of wellness (physical, emotional, environmental, occupational, intellectual, social, and spiritual). The HIA found that parks serve […]
Rochester Bike Share
Common Ground Health selected the Rochester (New York) Bike Share program for an HIA because it experienced rapid expansion during its first year (25 planned stations and 250 bikes became 46 stations and 340 bikes in Phase 1). The study examined the program’s effects on residents’ physical activity, social cohesion, economic well-being, and access to […]
6th Avenue East Duluth
The redesign study of Sixth Avenue East in 2010 arose out of community concerns about the safety of the roadway and its perceived negative effects on the neighborhood. – 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, […]
Charlotte Area Transit System Blue Line Extension
The Mecklenburg County Health Department, in collaboration with the University of North Carolina, Charlotte (UNCC) and the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), conducted an HIA of an extension to the CATS’ Blue Line from the Charlotte City Center to UNCC. The HIA focused on potential health impacts of the extension associated with housing, transportation options, […]
Colorado Statewide Regulatory Structure for Retail Marijuana
The Colorado School of Public Health and Colorado’s Children’s Hospital conducted a rapid health impact assessment (HIA) on the final regulatory structure for retail marijuana in Colorado. Amendment 64 legalized and set preliminary regulations for recreational marijuana sales to adults over 21 years of age. The HIA intended to inform the State’s final regulatory structure. […]
Caño Martin Peña
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai’s Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit in New York City conducted an HIA to inform Puerto Rican policy makers on their decision to fund a comprehensive development plan for improving sanitation infrastructure, as well as dredging and removing heavily polluted sludge from a two-mile stretch of the Caño […]
Oregon Farm-to-School Legislation
Upstream Public Health, a public policy non-profit based in Portland, Oregon, conducted a novel health impact assessment (HIA) of proposed legislation in Oregon. Oregon House Bill (HB) 2800 would provide state funds to purchase locally-grown foods for schools, set up school teaching gardens, and conduct nutrition education. The lessons learned from this project could be […]
George Road Complete Streets Implementation Plan
The Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County and the Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) conducted a health impact assessment of the George Road Complete Streets Implementation Plan, which aimed to provide a safe bicycle and pedestrian connection between the Town ‘N’ Country Greenway and the Courtney Campbell Trail. The study found that the plan […]
Worksite Wellness in Davidson, NC
In 2014, the Davidson Design for Life initiative conducted an HIA to predict the health impacts of improving worksite wellness in Davidson, North Carolina. Physical working conditions, such as exposure to hazardous chemicals, can affect a person’s health. Schedules, commuting time, and other work-related issues can also impact health and well-being. The organization reviewed literature, […]
Kings Ridge Apartments
The Kings Ridge apartments have been traditionally plagued by crime, poverty and poor health. A new management company has purchased the property and developed a community renovation plan which is designed to improve the health, safety and quality of life of residents. This HIA examines the plan and progress, looking at its effects on indicators […]
Long Beach Housing Element
Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Housing Long Beach, and Human Impact Partners conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) of the Housing Element of the City of Long Beach General Plan. This update is required every eight years by the State of California. The HIA focused on housing affordability, quality, and location. The HIA made […]
Restorative Justice Policies in Merced County Schools
Human Impact Partners, in partnership with Building Healthy Communities Merced, the Merced Organizing Project, and the California Endowment, conducted an HIA of “restorative justice school discipline” pilots in Merced, California. Restorative justice policies are dialogue-based decision-making processes that consider the needs of all those involved in a disciplinary incident: victims, offenders, and school staff. In […]
Haywood County Comprehensive Bike Plan
Bicycle Haywood NC, a local bicycle advocacy group, and the Haywood County Recreation and Parks Department conducted an HIA to determine the impacts of the Haywood County Comprehensive Bike Plan. The HIA focused on key health outcomes that are strongly linked to bicycle activity: leading causes of death from heart, cancer and ischemic heart issues; […]
The Crossings at 29th and San Pedro St. – South Central Redevelopment
The HIA addressed plans for The Crossings at 29th Street, a proposed 11.6-acre development in South Los Angeles providing more than 450 units of affordable housing, as well as retail and multipurpose space for community activities. The four-block area where The Crossings will be developed is currently being rezoned from industrial to residential and is […]
Nuisance Abatement Plan in Superior, Nebraska
The South Heartland District Health Department, with technical assistance from the Douglas County Health Department and Human Impact Partners, conducted an HIA of implementation of Phase 2 of a nuisance abatement plan in Superior, Nebraska. The plan was intended to help identify, enforce, and resolve problems such as vacant or unsecured properties, dilapidated structures, junk […]
Lake Merritt BART Station Specific Plan
The HIA addressed the City of Oakland’s station area planning process for land use improvements around the Lake Merritt BART station in downtown Oakland. The plan will likely include housing; new space for office, retail, and light industry; higher residential density; parkland improvement; and increased connectivity between several different nodes of the city. The planning […]
Baltimore Red Line
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 […]
Sunport Boulevard Extension
Human Impact Partners, along with residents of the San Jose neighborhood, local advocacy organizations, and the New Mexico Department of Health, conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) of the Sunport Boulevard project in south Albuquerque, New Mexico. The project would extend the road as a four-lane divided highway for about a half-mile past its current […]
Augusta Lane Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge
The Washington County Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Division, in partnership with the Washington County Department of Land Use and Transportation, conducted a rapid HIA in 2014 to identify the potential health impacts of building a bicycle and pedestrian bridge to join two sections of SW Augusta Lane over Beaverton Creek in […]
Genesee Valley Greenway
The 90-mile Genesee Valley Greenway (GVG) State Park in western New York is an open-space corridor that passes through woodlands, wetlands, valleys, farmlands, glacial gorges, and historic villages as part of an interstate trail system. This HIA focused on the northernmost 50-mile portion in Monroe and Livingston counties. Addressing current issues related to public access, […]
Universal Design in Single-Family Housing in Davidson, North Carolina
In 2013, Davidson Design for Life conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) that examined the health impacts of incorporating universal design and visitability features within single family homes in Davidson, NC. Universal Design is defined as the “design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the […]
Hoboken Stormwater Management Plan and Ordinance
In partnership with New Jersey Future and the city of Hoboken, Rutgers University’s Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy completed an HIA examining the potential health effects of implementing green infrastructure-based stormwater management strategies to address chronic flooding and combined sewer system (CSS) backups and overflows in Hoboken. Over the past decade, […]
Implementing the City of Los Angeles Mobility Plan 2035
In 2018, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s Center for Health Impact Evaluation conducted an HIA using the Integrated Transportation and Health Model to quantify the health impacts of the City of Los Angeles Mobility Plan 2035—an updated transportation element of the city’s general plan—applying a health lens to the various policy, programmatic, […]
Richmond Highway Transit Center
The Fairfax County Health Department conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) to examine the potential health effects of developing a new transit center along the Richmond Highway Corridor, which connects major commercial, residential, and recreational areas in Northern Virginia. The HIA aimed to inform the site selection process for the new transit center and offered […]
Bloomfield Avenue Complete Corridor Plan
The New Jersey Health Impact Collaborative, in partnership with Together North Jersey, completed an HIA to inform the development of a Complete Corridor plan for improvements to an arterial road, Bloomfield Avenue, which transects four towns in Essex County, New Jersey. The HIA assessed the potential impacts related to road lane reductions and lane reconfigurations […]
Vehicle-Pedestrian Injury Collisions in San Francisco’s Central Corridor
The San Francisco Department of Public Health conducted an HIA to predict how anticipated changes to land use and transportation would affect the number of vehicle-pedestrian injury collisions at intersections with traffic signals in San Francisco’s Central Corridor project area. The HIA used an existing model to identify several statistically significant collision predictors, including traffic […]
Executive Park Subarea Plan
The San Francisco Department of Public Health conducted an HIA to look at the health impacts of a proposed 2, 800-unit new residential area on 71 acres in the southeastern corner of San Francisco. This HIA was the first pilot application of San Francisco’s Health Development Measurement Tool (HDMT) to a land use development plan. […]
The Layoff and Bumping Process in Cincinnati
At the request of City of Cincinnati employees, the Cincinnati Health Department (CHD) Health Impact Assessment (HIA) Committee studied the health impacts experienced by workers impacted directly and indirectly from the layoff or the bumping process. When a senior union member’s position is eliminated, s/he can ‘bump’ a junior employee out of his or position. […]
I-5 Columbia River Crossing
This HIA, led by the Multnomah County Health Department in collaboration with several other organizations, examined the health impacts of proposed alternatives for a renovation and expansion of the Interstate 5 Columbia River crossing between Oregon and Washington. The HIA was completed to inform an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the project being undertaken by […]
Philadelphia’s Tree Canopy Cover Goals
This health impact assessment estimates the annual premature mortality burden for adult residents associated with projected changes in tree canopy cover in Philadelphia between 2014 and 2025. – The creation of this HIA Report was supported by a grant from the Health Impact Project. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not […]
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