Health Impact Assessment of the Green Square Draft Infrastructure Strategy and Plan
Creating liveable and healthy communities within former industrial sites involves unique opportunities for developers and councils to imagine and create new communities through the provision of a high level of amenity and facilities, and connected active and public transport. However, delivering diversity, a sense of community and healthy environments for people across the life course in higher density environments is an emerging challenge. Therefore, a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) was conducted to identify the potential health impacts of the Green Square development. This report describes the HIA findings and its recommendations.
Health Impact Assessment of Stage 3 of the Airds Bradbury Renewal Project
Villawood East Master Plan HIA
Villawood East is a public housing estate in Western Sydney, established during the early 1950s and in need of improvement. NSW Finance and Services and NSW Family & Community Services are developing a Master Plan for the Villawood East area. The key objectives of the Master Plan are to:
- Reduce the concentration of public housing and increase the availability of affordable housing.
- Enhance the urban structure.
- Enable the formulation of detailed planning controls to achieve high quality urban design outcomes.
In 2008 Housing NSW , Sydney and Sydney South West Local Health Districts and the Centre for Health Equity Training Research and Evaluation formed the Health and Housing Partnership. The vision of the housing and health partnership is working together to improve the health and wellbeing of the communities of South West Sydney. As part of the partnership’s strategic development, in late 2010 it was decided to follow the planning process for the Master Plan being developed for Villawood East. Health would collaborate with housing NSW across the process to understand the points where health could usefully add value to that process. This health impact assessment (HIA) forms part of this
activity.
- Villawood East Master Plan HIA (print version)
- Villawood East Master Plan HIA (screen version)
- Villawood East Master Plan Literature Review (print version)
- Villawood East Master Plan Literature Review (screen version)
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.
Health Impact Assessment of the Redevelopment of Liverpool Hospital
Sydney South West Area Health Service
A Steering Committee was established in July 2006 to conduct a prospective HIA on the Redevelopment of Liverpool Hospital. The focus of this project was on the construction phase of the redevelopment and the scope covered four issues – reduced parking for staff, patients and visitors; health and wellbeing of staff and the community; community and patient safety (non-traffic related); and increased traffic in the area (general and construction traffic). Recommendations were developed for the Executive User Group (EUG) and these are currently being monitored by the EUG.
In August 2007, the Executive User Group (EUG) for the Liverpool Hospital Redevelopment endorsed the conduct of a second Health Impact Assessment (HIA) for the redevelopment. The scope for the HIA was defined as being environmental effects; health promoting effects and effects on patient recovery and staff wellbeing. The current status of the redevelopment in August 2008 determined that we should focus on developing recommendations for the detailed design and commissioning phases of the project. An EFHIA was chosen for this project because it was thought that the most value that could be added at these stages of the design process would be to focus on a consideration of equity issues related to the redevelopment. This consideration is most relevant to the Liverpool Hospital Redevelopment
- Phase 1 HIA Report
- Phase 2 Equity Focussed HIA
- Journal Article: HIA in Urban Settings
- Journal Article: HIA of Construction Phase of Hospital Redevelopment
Including health in environmental impact assessments: is an institutional approach useful for practice?
Harris PJ, Haigh F: Including health in environmental impact assessments: is an institutional approach useful for practice? Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal 2015:1-7.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14615517.2015.1006417#.VPO1ril62-I
Internationally the inclusion of health within environmental impact assessment (EIA) has been shown to be limited. While health-focused research has focused on the technical provision of health information, policy analysis theory may enable description and explanation of the institutional conditions surrounding health inclusion in EIA. However, whether this framework is considered useful by practitioners has yet to be tested. To investigate this, data were collected via a workshop (n = 22) and the results were analysed using ?Institutionalist? units of analysis (ideas, actors, organisations and institutions). These results were then emailed to participants who were asked to undertake a follow-up survey about the analysis and approach (n = 9). The workshop results suggested various influences on how and why health is considered or not in EIAs. Overall the survey respondents agreed that the approach was conceptually and practically useful but that the framework alone is insufficient and further work is needed to convince potential users of the value of health in EIA. The findings support the need for more detailed research.
South East Queensland Regional Plan Health & Social Impact Assessment
Queensland Health, Queensland Department of Communities & Queensland Office of Urban Management
Abstract: A health and social impact assessment of the South East Queensland Regional Plan was undertaken in 2005 (Queensland Government, 2005). It is one of few attempts nationally and globally to apply health and social impact assessment to a regional planning process. The assessment methodology builds on existing evidence-based research, methodologies and the combined professional experience of both health and social impact assessment practices in Queensland. The approach adds further strength and rigour to planning strategies to enhance the health and well-being of communities. The way the South East Queensland Regional Plan is implemented, and how the plan influences access to jobs, education, affordable housing and social infrastructure, and the achievement of social inclusion and connectedness within communities, will be central to future health and well-being of people in South East Queensland.
Flinders Street Redevelopment Project (Townsville) HIA
Queensland Health Tropical Population Health Services
In November 2008 a Rapid Desktop Health Impact Assessment was conducted on the Flinders Street Redevelopment project by the Health Promotion Service of the Tropical Population Health Services, Population Health Queensland. The identified health determinants were safety and security, access for all ages and abilities, social connectedness, participation and identity.
Housing, Health and Master Planning: rules of engagement
Harris P, Haigh F, Thornell M, Molloy L, Sainsbury P. Housing, Health and Master Planning: rules of engagement. Public Health 2014http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2014.01.006
Abstract
Objectives: Knowledge about health focussed policy collaboration to date has been either tactical or technical. This article focusses on both technical and tactical issues to describe the experience of cross-sectoral collaboration between health and housing stakeholders across the life of a housing masterplan, including but not limited to a health impact assessment(HIA).
Study design: A single explanatory case study of collaboration on a master plan to regenerate a deprived housing estate in Western Sydney was developed to explain why and how the collaboration worked or did not work. Methods: Data collection included stakeholder interviews, document review, and reflections by the health team. Following a realist approach, data was analysed against established public policy theory dimensions.
Results: Tactically we did not know what we were doing. Despite our technical knowledge and skills with health focussed processes, particularly HIA, we failed to appreciate complexities inherent in master planning. This limited our ability to provide information at the right points. Eventually however the HIA did provide substantive connections between the master plan and health. We use our analysis to develop technical and tactical rules of engagement for future cross-sectoral collaboration.
Conclusions: This case study from the field provides insight for future health focussed policy collaboration. We demonstrate the technical and tactical requirements for future intersectoral policy and planning collaborations, including HIAs, with the housing sector on master planning. The experience also suggested how HIAs can be conducted flexibly alongside policy development rather than at a specific point after a policy is drafted.
Health Impact Assessment of Lithgow City Council’s Strategic Plan
Sydney West Area Health Service and Lithgow City Council
This report explains the Health Impact Assessment (HIA) process and presents the findings of the HIA of the Lithgow City Council Strategic Plan, 2007. The primary output of the HIA is a set of evidencebased recommendations geared to informing the decision-making process. These recommendations aim to highlight practical ways to enhance the positive impacts or minimise any negative impacts on health, well being and health inequalities that might arise or exist in response to the Lithgow City Council Strategic Plan.
The Lithgow City Council Strategic Plan is the first long-term plan to be developed by Lithgow City Council in collaboration and consultation with the community and government. It introduces a new framework of strategic planning in the Lithgow local government area, which is driven by the community’s vision and issues. The Plan incorporates the visions and strategies and feeds these into Council’s management and operational plans to deliver actions that ultimately achieve the vision for the community. The objective of the Strategic Plan is to provide the strategic framework for the future development of the Lithgow Local Government Area and to encourage environmental, economic and social sustainability (Lithgow City Council Strategic Plan, 2007, Page 4).
Oran Park and Turner Road Health Impact Assessment
Sydney South West Area Health Service and Camden City Council
In May 2007, the NSW Government released detailed draft plans to develop 12,000 new homes in Sydney’s south-west – with construction to start as early as 2008 in Oran Park and Turner Road. It is anticipated that these plans will create healthy communities for families, with a mix of housing, jobs, schools, parks, transport, community facilities and shops. These precincts will offer a choice of accommodation including houses, terraces and units, to cater for singles, families and seniors. The Oran Park & Turner Road precincts are expected to provide 7,700 new jobs for Western Sydney – helping to achieve a key State Plan priority of more jobs close to home. Oran Park and Turner Road precincts are located in the Camden Local Government Area (LGA).
Sydney South West Area Health Service (SSWAHS) has been involved in the Greater Western Sydney Urban Development HIA with Western Sydney Region of Councils (WSROC) and Sydney West Area Health Service (SWAHS), which assessed aspects of the Sydney Metropolitan Strategy. The Oran Park &Turner Road Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is seen as a valuable extension and application of this previous project.
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.
Haigh F (2012) Health Impact Assessment for Policies, Plans and Projects, New Planner. June 2012.6
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.
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