Integrating Health Impact Assessment with New York City's Community Planning Process: A Critical Reflection on Policy Transfer
Abstract
Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is an internationally recognized policy framework and practice for community and decision-maker engagement that has been used to advance place-based health promotion in the context of local... [ view full abstract ]
Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is an internationally recognized policy framework and practice for community and decision-maker engagement that has been used to advance place-based health promotion in the context of local development. HIA can also be a tool for advancing health and equity in cities by identifying the how action in ‘non-health sectors’ may influence the opportunities for health within and between populations. HIA is still a developing practice in the US, with limited existing legal frameworks to make their findings binding. The East Harlem HIA was conducted in in response to New York City (NYC) Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Housing New York, which aims to build or preserve 200,000 affordable housing units through mandatory inclusionary housing. In response, local leaders in East Harlem organized a grassroots effort to inform any re-zoning in this community, called the East Harlem Neighborhood Plan (EHNP). The EHNP recommended that a binding HIA be conducted in relation to any future zoning changes, which precipitated debates about the legal, practical, and political feasibility of integrating HIA with NYC’s Universal Land Use Review Process and New York State’s Environmental Quality Review Act. Such integration raises practical and conceptual concerns over funding, workforce capacity, meaningful community engagement, evaluation and monitoring of the implementation of statutory recommendations. This paper describes the methodological integration of HIA and this community planning process. Examples from San Francisco and London, suggest potential policy mechanisms for creating a statutory integrated impact assessment process in NYC. Two key tensions encountered while incorporating HIA into the EHNS that should be addressed in future integrated impact assessments in NYC are discussed. One tension regards minimum standards of practice and specific concerns from the community about its engagement; the second is between maximizing research rigor with real limitations on time and resources.
Authors
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Kimberly Libman
(The New York Academy of Medicine)
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Lindsey Realmuto
(The New York Academy of Medicine)
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Shauneequa Owusu
(The New York Academy of Medicine)
Topic Areas
II. Urban Health at the intersection of urban environment, social determinants and places , VI. Research and action 6.1 Collaboration; interaction of researchers; stakeholders 6.2 S , VII. Urban health policies 7.1 Governance and policy frameworks 7.2 Health in all policies
Session
EFA-O-07 » Evidence for Action in Policy and Programs (08:00 - Monday, 4th April, TBA)
Paper
2016_International_Society_for_Urban_Health.docx
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