Do you know the effect your spiffy new development will have on the neighbors' health? Aaron Wernham and the Kresge Foundation think you could use a health impact assessment.
Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) "provide a way to factor health outcomes into decisions that affect both housing and neighborhoods, such as zoning, road-building, codes, or neighborhood revitalization" says Aaron Wernham, a physician a director of the Health Impact Project based in Washington, D.C., in Shelterforce's latest issue on health and housing.
HIAs are conducted in 6 steps that include screening and reporting. During perhaps the most important step - "assessing" - community members are regarded as true stakeholders in the decision-making process and help shape priorities of planned projects and which health outcomes should be promoted or avoided.
For a very candid look at the role the community plays (or stands to play, when enough pressure is present) in the HIA process, read the sidebar interview with ISAIAH executive director, Doran Schrantz (A Community-Driven HIA). Dr. Wernham challenges those first learning about HIAs, as well as those very familiar with the process and its use in the housing field, to think about how HIAs will affect neighborhoods, not just individual developments or units of housing.
Under the Health Impact Project's call for proposals, the Kresge Foundation recently funded two health impact assessments specifically addressing health and housing. With housing becoming a focus, the community development field should be at the HIA table.
Thanks to Brittany Stanley
FULL STORY: Taking Health Into Account
Denver Tackling its Troubling Public Health Disparities
A distance of two miles can mean the difference of living more than ten years longer in the city of Denver. The city and its residents are gathering resources to improve public health outcomes in all the city's neighborhoods.
Bioremediation for Environmental Justice
Bioremediation uses plants, fungi, and microbes to clean up polluted land in place, offering a nature-based option for restoring contaminated sites in overburdened communities.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie