Parks and Trails Health Impact Assessment

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The Healthy Community Design Initiative, also known as the Built Environment and Health Initiative, is no longer a funded program and the information on this website is not being reviewed and updated on a regular basis.

 

Section A: Stakeholders – Subject Matter Experts

Stakeholders and subject matter experts are crucial to the development of an HIA. Therefore, we have included a list of stakeholders who might be part of the HIA team. These people could be asked to provide technical assistance or to be interviewed about their perspectives. Your HIA may not include everyone on this list, and you may want to include groups not named here. People leading an HIA should carefully consider whom to include with the goal of understanding health impacts that may not be addressed as part of a standard review process.

Consider including:

  • People who will be directly affected by the decision
  • Existing and potential users
  • Neighbors; adjacent property owners
  • People whose access might be affected by the decision
  • Organizations that might participate in the HIA
  • Board of Health/Health Institutes / Hospital Board
  • Chambers of Commerce
  • Elementary, middle, and high schools, public and private schools (connect the project with institutions serving a common user group. They could help evaluate park access particularly entrance locations and walk-bike routes. They may also assist with joint use agreements.)
  • Health department (potential HIA lead)
  • Land banks
  • Libraries (opportunities for programing and co-location)
  • Local colleges and universities (may help evaluate framework and with technical assistance)
  • Local foundations
  • Local merchants who support civic projects
  • Neighborhood/civic associations
  • Neighboring site managers (connectivity/complete safe routes)
  • Parks and recreation department (potential project lead)
  • Planning/development (land development policies, adjacent natural surveillance, abutting pedestrian-friendly streets, entrance points and access routes, connected street patterns, reviews, and incentives to create accessible public space)
  • Police patrol (to increase park safety among users and residents close to park site)
  • Public works/transportation (sidewalks and connectivity, street design)
  • Regional planning agencies
  • Schools of:
    • Public Health/Nursing (could help identify and obtain pertinent public health data)
    • Planning/Landscape Architecture/Architecture/Environmental Design/Urban Design Programs (mapping and analysis
  • Social service agencies (YMCA/YWCAs, Boys/Girls Clubs, health clubs, schools, senior centers, after-school programs, health department)
  • Water management (rainwater, sewer, water quality)
The Toolkit is divided into four sections and two appendices:
Connect with Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity