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Health Impact Assessment in Land Use Development

An Effective Practice

Description

Internationally, public health practitioners are implementing health impact assessment (HIA) as a way to account for the direct and indirect health impacts of public policy. Since 2003 the San Francisco Department of Public Health has been developing a practice of Health Impact Assessment in the context of land use development. The Department uses several complimentary tactics, including: 1) analysis of health impacts of development projects and land use plans; 2) integration of health impact analysis in environmental impact assessment; and 3) facilitation of community dialogue on the relationships among land use and public health.

Goal / Mission

The goal of this program is to ensure that city planning and policy making accounts for how land use development impacts community health resources.

Results / Accomplishments

The first assessments, conducted on residential development projects, illustrated that development could lead to adverse impacts on housing adequacy, community cohesion, residential segregation, public infrastructure, and air pollution. The assessments contributed to positive changes in the development proposals in terms of the number of below-market housing produced and displacement prevention. The assessments also led to changes in how residential displacement is evaluated in environmental impact reports required under the California Environmental Quality Act.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
San Francisco Department of Public Health
Primary Contact
Rajiv Bhatia, Director
1390 Market St, Suite 210
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 252-3982
rajiv.bhatia@sfdph.org
http://www.sfdph.org/dph/EH/default.asp
Topics
Environmental Health / Toxins & Contaminants
Economy / Housing & Homes
Environmental Health / Built Environment
Organization(s)
San Francisco Department of Public Health
Source
National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)
Date of publication
2005
Date of implementation
2003
Geographic Type
Urban
Location
San Francisco, CA
For more details
http://www.naccho.org/topics/modelpractices/databa...

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An Effective Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success and/or promise in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures of improvement in outcome of interest (i.e. increase in voter registration, not just delivery of voter registration drive) and/ or the outcome measure is increased or improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant.