330937
Health impact assessment of strategic renewal strategy on Detroit's high vacancy neighborhoods: The effects of infrastructure, public lighting, and demolition on disinvested neighborhoods
Detroit has experienced substantial loss of jobs and population, resulting in widespread disinvestment and vacancy in historically vibrant neighborhoods. To address this, the Detroit Future City (DFC) strategic framework was developed to guide the revitalization of Detroit. A key strategy is to realign infrastructure renewal and blight reduction/demolition to stabilize the most populated areas and transition high vacancy neighborhoods to non-residential land uses.
Methods
Healthy Neighborhoods for a Healthy Detroit (D-HIA), a community-academic partnership of the Detroit Urban Research Center, conducted a health impact assessment to look at how DFC infrastructure, demolition, and street lighting realignment may affect the health of the 90,000 people living in high vacancy neighborhoods. We examined impacts on neighborhood determinants of health: stability/population density, social networks, social cohesion, safety, crime dispersion, displacement, gentrification, and exposure to environmental hazards such as lead and demolition debris. D-HIA looked at potential positive and negative impacts depending on whether people remain or leave, and the distribution of impacts on vulnerable groups (impoverished, children, youth, women, and elderly) and equity.
Results
We discuss and analyze key findings, including potential health impacts of reduced/delayed infrastructure investment on mortality, heart disease, violence, asthma, lead poisoning, and cancer. Recommendations include: provide basic infrastructure and supports for neighborhoods experiencing continuing decline; implement community-based planning; mitigate detrimental impacts of displacement (homelessness, increased costs); and establish policies to protect against negative effects of gentrification.
Conclusion
We discuss strengths, challenges, and lessons learned for using HIA to promote health and equity in urban regeneration.
Learning Areas:
Public health or related public policyLearning Objectives:
Describe how HIA can inform planning decisions to address the impacts of urban population and revenue loss
List potential positive and negative health impacts of infrastructure, lighting, blight and demolition on neighborhood residents
Identify three recommendations for protecting health when revitalizing urban neighborhoods
Keyword(s): Health Assessment, Urban Health
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I played a lead role in developing and carrying out the HIA.
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.