329745
Intergrating public health and health equity into comprehensive planning: Developing the North Birmingham Community Framework Plan
Monday, November 2, 2015
: 10:50 a.m. - 11:10 a.m.
Monica L. Baskin, PhD,
Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
Edwin Revell,
Department of Planning, Engineering & Permits, City of Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
Darrell Howard,
Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
Gregory Townsend, MPPM,
Quality Improvement and Decision Support, Jefferson County Department of Health, Birmingham, AL
Policies and neighborhood conditions (e.g., educational and employment opportunities, access to amenities, protection from environmental pollutants and hazards) affect the health and well-being of a population. As such, policy decisions, irrespective of the intentions of the decision makers, may greatly impact health and health equity. Our prior work has shown a concentration of limited health promoting resources and poor health outcomes in select census tracts in Birmingham, AL. We hypothesize that historical vestiges of city planning and zoning ordinances to enforce racial segregation in the past may have contributed to noted health inequity. With the recent adoption of Birmingham’s first comprehensive plan in 50 years, current efforts by city and regional planning offices deliberately focus on public involvement and community health impact assessment to recommend projects and implementation strategies to improve the quality of life of all residents. Collaborative efforts between community members, public health officials, business leaders, other stakeholders, and government agencies resulted in the development of a Community Framework Plan for North Birmingham, AL, an EPA-designated Superfund site. We discuss the historical and current industrial activities that have impacted this community and the process used to ensure city and regional planning considers health and health equity in the pursuit of community renewal, industrial development, and commercial development goals. In addition, we will share lessons learned and offer best practices in the promotion of health and health equity in city planning and related policies.
Learning Areas:
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines
Learning Objectives:
Describe the development of a community framework plan to drive the development/redevelopment of an EPA-designated superfund site in North Birmingham, AL
Discuss the role of a health impact assessment and discussion of health equity in the development of the plan
Discuss ongoing challenges and opportunities to promote health and health equity in comprehensive planning
Keyword(s): Public Health Policy, Environmental Justice
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the principal or co-investigator for multiple federal and locally-funded grants related to multi-level interventions (e.g., individual, environmental, policy) focused on the reduction of health disparities and promotion of health equity. I also lead a local and multidisciplinary group with a focus on the promotion of health equity using environmental and policy-level strategies aimed at the social determinants of health. This group authored a community health equity report using GIS and HIA methods.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
