• Human Impact Partners
  • Human Impact Partners
  • Human Impact Partners
  • Human Impact Partners
  • Human Impact Partners
Past Projects

Comprehensive Immigration Reform

In 2009, Human Impact Partners initiated a HIA process that would analyze health impacts of a proposed federal policy within comprehensive immigration reform that would legalize undocumented residents in the U.S. The proposed HIA aimed to provide the decision-making process with data regarding the health impacts of such legislation on over 12 million undocumented residents, their families, and their communities. Human Impact Partners developed a number of pathway diagrams delineating potential relationships between the policy and health, identified a set of research questions to guide the potential HIA, and formed partnerships with several national advocates. After several months of unsuccessfully pursuing funding for the HIA, HIP and other partners concluded that completing a HIA on this issue in the short timeframe required was infeasible. While the project is currently on hold, preliminary screening and scoping findings were documented and are available here.

Concord Naval Weapons Station

The Concord Naval Weapons Station is a 5,028-acre former US Navy weapons storage site that is to be redeveloped by the City of Concord, CA. With a coalition of groups representing affordable housing, environmental, labor, and community organizations, Human Impact Partners completed a HIA in January 2009 that analyzed some of the proposed uses of the site from a health perspective. After evaluating health implications of several proposed development plans being considered by the City, the HIA identified potentially negative impacts of the plans, such as insufficient affordable housing to match the wages of anticipated jobs created on the site. In addition to recommending more affordable housing, the HIA provided several other health-promoting recommendations such as maximizing residential density near a BART station to allow residents the greatest access to transit and other goods and services.

Impacts: Based on the HIA, HIP met with the city’s planning staff and consultants and submitted a comment letter to recommend changes to the Draft EIR. Our partners also used the HIA in their advocacy efforts and were able to win a plan that met a substantial number of their goals. The Final EIR approved by the City Council responded to some of the HIAs recommendations, but changed little. The Concord City Council voted to move forward with the second most dense land use option proposed and has taken steps to ensure that a significant amount of affordable housing is built at the site.

The full HIA and each section are available below.

The Crossings at 29th Street / San Pedro Street

A four-block area in South Central Los Angeles, CA is being rezoned from industrial to residential land use. The Los Angeles Chapter of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) has been working in the neighborhood for a number of years, and its members were interested in ensuring that future residential development addresses the health needs of the community. LA ACORN hired Human Impact Partners as a consultant to identify current needs based on existing health conditions, and to facilitate the creation of a comprehensive vision for the 29th Street Redevelopment that would improve health and quality of life for future residents and neighbors. As part of this work, Human Impact Partners engaged with Urban Housing Communities, the developer, and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

Impacts: As a result of the HIA, the City Council representative in the area agreed to implement some of the HIA recommendations. The developer intends to reduce the cost of housing in the future phases of the development, since one of the findings of the HIA was that local income was lower than previous estimates used by the developer.

The executive summary and final report are available.

East Bay Greenway

Human Impact Partners worked with Urban Ecology to assess their East Bay Greenway project in Oakland, CA. The HIA examined the benefits of the walking and biking trail (e.g., increased physical activity and social cohesion) and the potential barriers to its use (e.g., crime and safety).

Impacts: Urban Ecology used the HIA and its suggested mitigations to develop plans for the Greenway and to raise funding for the project. The HIA was included in final East Bay Greenway Concept Plan. The Plan won the 2009 Focused Issue Planning Award from the American Planning Association's California Northern Section, and the Alameda County Transportation Improvement Authority provided grant funding for conducting the Environmental Impact Report. According to Urban Ecology’s former Executive Director, the HIA contributed to the success of the Plan.

A completed scoping worksheet is available here and the final report is available here

East Palo Alto

A large piece of industrial land in East Palo Alto (EPA), CA is being redeveloped and EPA may be a site for a future transit station along a new fixed-rail line. Youth United for Community Action (YUCA) and the Community Development Institute (CDI) are leading a collaboration to initiate a community-based planning process that will influence the redevelopment plan. Human Impact Partners facilitated a process in which community health concerns related to the redevelopment were prioritized and also worked with YUCA, CDI and others, including the County Public Health Department, to collect relevant existing conditions data. The existing conditions report is now complete. Following the release of the city’s land use proposals, Human Impact Partners will work with our partners to analyze health impacts associated with them.

Humboldt General Plan Update

In 2008, along with Humboldt County, CA public health and planning agencies and the community organization Humboldt Partnership for Active Living, Human Impact Partners completed a HIA to provide a health perspective to the Humboldt County General Plan Update process. Humboldt County is currently engaged in a decision-making process to guide the county’s growth over the next 25 years and is considering three growth alternatives ranging from limiting growth in urban areas to sprawl. The HIA engaged many stakeholders in the county and identified one of the three alternatives as the healthiest in terms of housing, transportation, environmental stewardship, public infrastructure, public safety, social cohesion, and the economy. In addition, the HIA proposed mitigations of potential negative health outcomes associated with the three plans.

Impacts: While no final decision has been made regarding the General Plan Update, the HIA has significantly influenced the planning department’s transportation and housing proposals for the General Plan. The HIA initiated the public health department’s involvement in shaping General Plan proposals, as well as community engagement in the process.  Because the HIA generated media attention and was presented in many forums across the County, public awareness about the connections between health and planning has increased. Humboldt County recently passed an inclusionary zoning ordinance, which was one of the recommendations of the HIA. A case study documenting the HIA process was published in the journal Environmental Justice.  In signing an Executive Order creating a Health In All Policies Task Force, Governor Schwarzenegger cited this HIA as a success story.

The full report and summaries are available below.

A case study documenting the HIA process, which was published in the journal Environmental Justice, can be accessed here. Dr. Ann Lindsay’s presentation to the Planning Commission on 3/20/2008 is available here. News stories about the Humboldt HIA are available in our Newsroom.

Jack London Gateway

In 2007, Human Impact Partners worked with West Oakland residents and the non-profit developer East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (EBALDC) to maximize likely positive health impacts and minimize likely negative health impacts of a planned retail expansion and low-income senior housing development. This rapid HIA process addressed community concerns about air quality, noise, safety, and retail planning.

Impacts: As a result of the HIA, EBALDC installed a central ventilation system with air filters inside housing units, and modified residential building design to orient the main entryway through a noise-buffered courtyard rather than near a freeway. This HIA also sparked additional HIA work in West Oakland and the formation of the West Oakland HIA Working Group (see below).

A completed worksheet used to conduct the rapid assessment is available here and a case study about the project is available here.

Merced County General Plan

Human Impact Partners assisted the Merced Asthma Coalition, California Department of Public Health, the Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program (CCROPP), and other partners in writing letters to the Board of Supervisors regarding the health outcomes associated with proposals for the County General Plan Update. Two options 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.

Impact: Though letters were sent to the Board of Supervisors and public comment favored the healthier option, decision-makers ultimately selected the development option that was not found by the HIA to be healthiest.

HIP’s letter documenting Merced County residents’ priority health issues is available here.

Oakland Estuary

The Community and Economic Development Agency of Oakland, CA is developing a Specific Plan for the Central Estuary area in the city, and has required the consideration of health impacts in developing the Specific Plan. Human Impact Partners is consulting with the planning team, led by Community Design + Architecture, on this effort. More information about the Estuary project, including our existing conditions analysis and alternatives analysis can be found here.

Impact: The Oakland City Council did not approve the community approved alternative proposed by City staff.  Because of related issues with the proposed zoning, this project is currently on hold.

Paid Sick Days Legislation

In 2008, Human Impact Partners and researchers at the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) released a HIA on the California Healthy Families, Healthy Workplaces Act, which would guarantee workers access to paid sick days. The California HIA was updated in 2009. Also in 2009, Human Impact Partners and SFDPH completed a HIA on the national paid sick days bill, the Healthy Families Act of 2009. Building off of this work, Human Impact Partners then partnered with groups in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Milwaukee to customize findings of the national report to local jurisdictions, and to collect locally relevant data to analyze the health impacts of paid sick days.

Impacts: The HIA changed dialogue about paid sick days from being represented as a labor issue to a public health issue. For example, the Chair of the California Assembly Labor Committee, referring specifically to the HIA, asked the opposition to the bill if they condoned the spread of disease through restaurant workers. In addition, extensive press coverage about paid sick days and swine flu often used public health language and findings. The Milwaukee initiative passed with 69% of the vote.  The HIA generated interest around the country, including among labor groups and funders, in using HIAs to assess work and family issues.

Paid Sick Days HIA reports and summaries are available below.

News stories about the Paid Sick Days HIA are available in our Newsroom.

Pittsburg Railroad Ave. Specific Plan Health Impact Assessment

In collaboration with TransForm and the Contra Costa Interfaith Supporting Community Organization (CCISCO), HIP conducted a HIA on the Pittsburg Railroad Avenue Station Area Plan, a proposed Transit Oriented Development project in the San Francisco Bay Area. The plan proposed a new BART Station that would straddle State Route 4, as well as housing, retail, and light industry surrounding the new BART station. Through discussions with our partners and a focus group with community leaders, a set of research questions were developed relating to housing, livelihood, transportation access, noise, air quality, and, access to retail goods and public services. HIP then analyzed existing conditions related to these questions, assessed how the proposed project would impact health outcomes, and made recommendations to improve the health impacts of the project.

Impacts: The Station Area Plan has been approved by the City Council. The Planning Department used results from the HIA to save affordable housing sites originally in the plan that were facing opposition, required air quality and noise mitigation measures, and improved pedestrian and bicycling facilities. By informing the Planning Department and City Council about the health impact of affordable housing, advocates were able to convince decision-makers to keep an affordable housing site near the proposed BART station. The HIA process also engaged community residents in data collection and partnered with a local health clinic.

The final report is available here, and summary is available here.

San Pablo Avenue Corridor

Working through the Great Communities Collaborative and specifically with Urban Habitat and Greater Richmond Interfaith Program (GRIP), Human Impact Partners assessed sites for affordable housing to be included in a Specific Plan along the San Pablo Avenue Corridor in El Cerrito and Richmond, CA. For each of three potential locations, Human Impact Partners evaluated health assets (e.g., parks, trails, community center, schools, transit, retail completeness) and health liabilities (e.g., air quality, noise, collisions, concentrated poverty). The goal was to provide guidance for future site selection and to suggest mitigations to prevent adverse health impacts.

Impacts: A letter from our partners to City Council and city staff included health-based recommendations and is currently being considered.

The final report is available here.

South Lincoln TOD Affordable Housing

The Denver Housing Authority (DHA) released a request for proposals (RFP) for architecture and construction services to design and build 100 units of senior and disabled low-income housing near a new light rail station in the South Lincoln area of Denver, CO.  DHA had previously developed a set of health-related indicators and targets to guide development in this area.  An architecture firm bidding on the project, Buchanan Yonushewski Group, recognized the importance of health in the South Lincoln development and asked Human Impact Partners to participate on its team to provide health analysis and expertise. 

Impacts: BYG was awarded the contract and Human Impact Partners provided feedback on design guidelines for the project, particularly in relation to residential noise and air quality exposures, as well as on potential community and site resources that could be supportive of health. The project is currently under construction, with a estimated completion date on Fall 2010.

Vehicle Miles Traveled Legislation

In 2009, the state of Oregon considered a bill to set targets for reducing vehicle miles traveled in the state. A coalition of groups, led by Upstream Public Health in Portland, supported the bill and received funding to conduct a HIA. Human Impact Partners’ role was to guide the work of researchers at Upstream and Oregon Health and Science University in conducting the HIA. The HIA considered ways VMT could be reduced, including increasing the cost of driving, improving public transit, and changing the built environment, and analyzed the health impacts of each.

Impacts: The HIA was presented to seven government decision-making bodies.  While the impact of the HIA is unclear, the final Jobs and Transportation Bill of 2009 and a subsequent bill included VMT targets for the six metropolitan areas in Oregon.  Health analyses are likely to also be included in future stages of implementing VMT reduction policies. The final HIA report can be found here and the HIA Fact Sheet is available here.

West Oakland HIA Working Group

Human Impact Partners convened the West Oakland Health Impact Assessment Working Group in 2007-2008. Participants included community organizations (e.g., West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project), Alameda County Public Health, Alameda County Environmental Health, US Environmental Protection Agency, and City and County elected officials. The group conducted two rapid HIAs on proposed developments, began assessing industrial land use policies, collaborated with UC Berkeley on a HIA of the Port of Oakland, and created a West Oakland Healthy Development Checklist.

Impacts: The City of Oakland Community and Economic Development Agency has included a request to evaluate health impacts as part of two recent Specific Plan RFPs. Through the Jack London Gateway HIA process and this work, Human Impact Partners built the capacity of many groups and individuals, including community groups and the Alameda County Public Health Department, to participate in HIA. The West Oakland Healthy Development Checklist, available here, was adopted by the West Oakland Project Area Committee for use in evaluating future development in the area.