Community engagement strategies in health impact assessment

Health Impact Assessment (HIA) has become increasingly popular in the United States over the past decade. One reason for expansion of HIA practice is a perception that HIA will increase social justice through democratizing decision-making in the planning arena. HIA practice does increases the information base upon which decisions are made. Yet to live up to social justice ideals, the participation norms associated with current HIA practice must be critically evaluated for inclusion of community perspectives and concerns. This project uses a case study methodology to evaluate several participation approaches in recent transportation HIAs. By examining the community engagement strategies of the Clark County, WA Bicycle-Pedestrian Plan HIA and Lake Merritt BART Station Area Plan HIA, community interests are identified and traced through public documents, interviews, and HIA and Plan documents. Comparing the community engagement strategies of these two cases suggests that HIAs supported with community advisory boards comprised of local community-based organizations result in an assessment and plan that is more closely aligned with social justice goals. Integrating community advisory boards into the HIA and planning process, however, is time and resource intensive.