Community Health Planning and Design: A Health Impact Assessment of Two Community Design Proposals in Harris County, Texas

Introduction: Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services (HCPHES) is partnering with two communities in Harris County, Texas – the City of Pasadena and East Aldine Management District, to conduct a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) of their proposed community design plans including a comprehensive comparison between a city and management district. The proposals included capital improvements, such as retail/commercial, community linkages (e.g., sidewalks, walking/bicycle trails), a community center and health clinic, and a college campus.

Approach: HCPHES applied the six major steps in conducting an HIA – screening, scoping, assessment, recommendations, reporting, and monitoring and evaluation. Key informant interviews, environmental scans, GIS mapping, land use and community plans, and health indicators were used in combination to systematically identify the effects of each proposal on individuals who live, work, and frequent the region.

Results: Results are currently being analyzed. The analysis will describe the HIA process in both communities, including City-Management District differences in infrastructure and decision-making processes; feasibility to institutionalize HIA into the decision-making process; the types of data sources that were utilized to assess health risks and benefits; and present preliminary findings and recommendations for the two community design plans.  

Conclusion: Utilization of the HIA process in community health planning may increase awareness to the benefit of HIA in improving the built environment through a “health in all policies” approach. Based on preliminary results, the HIA should lead to improvements to each of the community design plans by factoring in the health implications posed on their residents and visitors.