Coffs Harbour Our Living City Settlement Strategy Health Impact Assessment
North Coast Area Health Service and Coffs Harbour City Council
People’s health is influenced by the built, natural and social environments in which they live. Local governments have a crucial role to play in creating environments that promote opportunities for wellbeing and active living. The North Coast Area Health Service and the Coffs Harbour City Council have worked together on a HIA to ensure future plans for the Coffs Harbour Local Government Area consider how the community can make healthy choices the easy choices. The project is supported by the UNSW Centre Health Equity Training, Research and Evaluation (CHETRE).
Villawood East HIA Literature Review: Housing Estate Redevelopment and Health
Villawood East is a housing estate in South Western Sydney, NSW, Australia. It was built as a public housing estate, mostly during the early 1950s. The estate has been identified as being in need of improvement; the housing is of a low standard and in need of upgrading and is considered unsuitable for the current and future population. NSW Finance and Services and NSW Family & Community Services are developing a Master Plan for the redevelopment of the Villawood East area.
A HIA of the Master Plan has been carried out collaboratively by the Centre for Health Equity Training Research and Evaluation (CHETRE), Population Health South Western Sydney & Sydney Local Health Districts, the NSW Department of Family and Community Services (FACS) and the NSW Land and Housing Corporation HIA .
Ben Cave Associates were commissioned to carry out a literature review to inform the HIA focussing on the scoped areas of health impact: mental health, social cohesion, access to services and access to good quality space / urban design.
- Villawood East HIA Literature Review (print version)
- Villawood East Literature Review (screen version)
Bungendore Health Impact Assessment: A rapid HIA of two development scenarios
Greater Southern Area Health Service and Palerang Council
The village of Bungendore is located in the Southern Tablelands of NSW within the Palerang Council local government area. It is estimated that approximately 2000 people now live in the village. Recent population growth in Bungendore has highlighted the need for the provision of services for current and future residents. Planning for Bungendore’s future is especially important and planning processes are currently underway. Feasible and sustainable development outcomes will be examined in this process. In this report, two growth scenarios have been evaluated that investigate the implications of future growth on the health of its residents.
- Bungendore HIA Case Study
- Bungendore HIA Impact Evaluation
- Bungendore HIA Report
- Bungendore HIA Paper
Greater Granville Regeneration Strategy Health Impact Assessment
Sydney West Area Health Service, NSW Depart of Housing & Parramatta City Council
Urban regeneration is a complex, multifaceted process which has the potential to transform Granville, a relatively disadvantaged suburb located close to the centre of Sydney in the local government area of Parramatta. For the community of Granville it raises concerns of increased densification, and creates expectations of improvements for this historic suburb.
Parramatta City Council and NSW Department of Housing have formed a formal partnership to facilitate a collaborative approach to urban renewal. The regeneration of Granville was a project initiated under this partnership agreement. Sydney West Area Health Service (SWAHS) became involved for the purpose of conducting a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) on the urban regeneration strategy and to participate in a whole of government and whole of community context.
Harris P, Haigh F, Harris E. (2012) Incorporating health considerations in land-use planning and policy development: a review of activities in Stoke City Council in the UK and suggestions for application in NSW.
There has been increased interest in the relationship between health and the urban environment in recent years. However there has been limited knowledge about how to strategically develop collaborations between organisations which aim to influence ‘healthy’ planning practice. In Sydney, New South Wales, Australia an ongoing collaboration between the Sydney and South Western Sydney Local Health Districts and the Centre for Health Equity Training, Research and Evaluation at the University of New South Wales has been investigating the use of tools, processes and other ways to progress health and equity in urban focussed policy and planning. We have reviewed activities developed by ‘Stoke Healthy City’ in the U.K. to inform our work. The work in Stoke was intuitively appealing because of an explicit intention to work at multiple levels and with different tools and processes. These tools and activities are not particularly innovative in themselves. For example, the Sydney and South Western Sydney Local Health Districts already utilise HIA and health development checklists and have a long history of strong community engagement. However, what is unique about Stoke is that it has brought together a range of activities and tools that can be utilised at different stages within the planning and policy development process in order to mainstream the consideration of health into all levels of activity. Given the recent and upcoming changes to the land use and community strategic planning systems in New South Wales the activities detailed in this report provide practical examples of what is required to influence healthy urban planning and policy development.
Health Impact Assessment of the Wollongoing Foreshore Precinct Project
Dews C, Furber S, Gray E, Tranter D, Harris-Roxas B, Goldie A, Wallace C, Thackway S. Health Impact Assessment: Wollongong Foreshore Precinct Project. South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service, and Wollongong City Council, August 2006.
The way we design our cities has been shown to have an impact on health. Health Impact Assessment (HIA) provides a systematic process for identifying the positive or negative impacts that could arise from proposed policies, programs or projects, such as local government planning proposals. A HIA was conducted by South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service, and Wollongong City Council on the Wollongong Foreshore Precinct (WFP) Project. The potential impact of the Project on physical activity, social cohesion and access to healthy food were assessed.
Indigenous Environmental Health Worker Proposal
North Coast Area Health Service
This report documents the findings obtained from an intermediate Health Impact Assessment (HIA) study. The study investigated environmental health projects and methods of improving living conditions within Indigenous communities in Australia and internationally. The purpose of the study was to identify models of best practice for enhancing community capacity to address indigenous environmental health issues.
This report has been structured to reflect the themes that emerged from the research. Indicators of success in environmental health projects for indigenous communities are discussed throughout this report. The fundamental indicator of success for environmental health projects in indigenous communities is sustainability.
- Indigenous Environmental Health Worker Proposal HIA Report
- Indigenous Environmental Health Worker Proposal Screening report
- Indigenous Environmental Health Worker Proposal Scoping Report
- Indigenous Environmental Health Worker Proposal Case Study
Haigh F (2012) Health Impact Assessment for Policies, Plans and Projects, New Planner. June 2012.6
Health Service Realignment Health Impact Assessment
Greater Southern Area Health Service
This paper demonstrates how undertaking a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) assists in considering the likely impacts of a proposed reconfiguration in the model of health service delivery to a small rural community. The proposed service changes are being considered in response to the ongoing issues of sustainability and access to health services in small rural communities, especially with regard to addressing the challenges of recruitment and retention of health staff and identifying the needs of ageing and decreasing populations. Redesign of health service delivery and the consequent impacts on service quality, ability to access services, availability of services and workforce all need to be considered.
Greater Western Sydney Urban Development Health Impact Assessment
Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils Ltd
This HIA examines potential effects on population health and wellbeing of planned population growth and urban development in Greater Western Sydney (GWS) over the next twenty five years. During this time the population of Sydney is expected to increase by 1.1 million people, 600,000 of whom are anticipated to settle in GWS. This population increase will be accompanied by large scale development of housing, transport, employment and social infrastructure; all changes that can potentially affect the health and wellbeing of new residents and people living across the region.
How this growth is to be managed, in terms of where people live, the transport and other infrastructure that is provided, along with a range of other issues, has a major bearing on the level and type of health impact. Accordingly, this project specifically analyses the Sydney Metropolitan Strategy (2005). Past patterns of growth for Sydney are also reviewed as are other recent comparable metropolitan plans, in order to provide differing perspectives on the planning process and what are reasonable goals and targets to set.
Housing density and health: A review of the literature and Health Impact Assessments
Haigh, F., Ng Chok, H. & Harris, P. (2011). Housing density and health: A review of the literature and Health Impact Assessments. Centre for Health Equity Training, Research and Evaluation (CHETRE), University of New South Wales: Sydney.
Health Promotion Future Directions Health Impact Assessment
Greater Western Area Health Service
Health Promotion Future Directions Health Impact Assessment
Harris, P., Spickett, J. Health Impact Assessment in Australia: A review and directions for progress. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 2011, 31(4):425-432.
doi:10.1016/j.eiar.2010.03.002
Rapid Equity Focused HIA of the Australian Better Health Initiative: Assessing the NSW components of priorities 1 and 3
Centre for Health Equity Training, Research and Evaluation (CHETRE)
The Australian Better Health Initiative (ABHI) Implementation Plan has been developed as part of a Council of Australian Governments Reform Package aimed at achieving better health for all Australians. In NSW Approximately $20 million of new money has been allocated from Treasury for Priority Areas 1 & 3 of The ABHI Implementation Plan: Promoting healthy lifestyles and supporting lifestyle and risk modification. As part of the development of the ABHI Implementation Plan for NSW, NSW Health asked the UNSW Research Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity to conduct a Rapid Equity Focussed Health Impact Assessment (EFHIA) to:
- make practical recommendations in order to improve the equity of proposed strategies; and
- ensure that the strategies do not unintentionally widen the equity gap.
Integrated Chronic Disease Prevention Social Marketing Campaign Health Impact Assessment
NSW Department of Health
In late 2003, a proposal from the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Advancement was accepted as one of five developmental sites to participate in the NSW Health Impact Assessment Project – Phase 2. From February to October 2004, the Centre undertook a health impact assessment of the Integrated Chronic Disease Prevention campaign. This ‘learning by doing’ approach involved attending training sessions and working closely with the Centre for Health Equity Training Research and Evaluation, who were funding by NSW Health to manage the Health Impact Assessment Project.
Harris P, Harris E, Thompson S, Harris-Roxas B, Kemp L. Human Health and Wellbeing in Environmental Impact Assessment in New South Wales, Australia: Auditing health impacts within environmental assessments of major projects, Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 29(5); 310-318, 2009
doi:10.1016/j.eiar.2009.02.002
Social Impact Assessment of the Lower Hunter Regional Strategy
Hunter New England Area Health Service & NSW Premier’s Department
The Lower Hunter Regional Strategy prepared by the Department of Planning identifies how development in the region will be managed on a sustainable basis over the next 25 years. The Strategy, projecting a population increase of 125 000 people, has the potential to influence the health and social well-being of the community and the equitable access to, and distribution of services across the region.
In order to ensure that further disadvantage is not created by the implementation of the Strategy, the Hunter Regional Coordination Management Group, comprising of senior representatives of state government agencies from the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, completed an equity-focused Social Impact Assessment of the Strategy. A draft version of the Strategy was released for public comment on 4 November 2005 and the Social Impact Assessment was produced in response to this release.
Non Emergency Health Related Transport Policy Screening Report
NSW Department fo Health
Shellharbour Foreshore Management Plan HIA
South East Sydney Illawarra Area Health Service& Shellharbour City Council