Draft Residential Densities Strategy Mackay: Health Impact Assessment
Carless, F. & Gunning, C. (2011). Draft Residential Densities Strategy Mackay: Health Impact Assessment. Mackay Public Health Unit, Queensland Health: Mackay.
The Mackay Regional Council area is one of the fastest growing in Queensland, with strong growth forecast over the coming decades. Managing the challenges associated with high population growth is one of the drivers of Council’s Draft Residential Densities Strategy which outlines its vision for more compact urban areas within the region.
Recognition of the relationship between land use planning and health is not new and nationally there is much interest in translating this knowledge into practice. A tool which has emerged to contribute to this practice is Health Impact Assessment (HIA), a process which engages decision makers to consider health impacts in their planning, policy and program deliberations. To identify indirect health impacts that may be associated with the Draft Residential Densities Strategy, Queensland Health initiated a Health Impact Assessment with assistance from the Department of Communities, Mackay Regional Council and the Centre for Health Equity Training Research and Evaluation. Using a rapid HIA process, including collection of data via literature review and stakeholder consultation, and development of a population profile, the HIA project team generated a set of recommendations.