Clark County Public Health conducted a rapid HIA to examine the potential health impacts of Vancouver, Washington’s comprehensive plan revision. The HIA focused on two determinants of health: physical activity and access to healthy food. The HIA found that the proposed planning, policy and zoning changes will likely have positive impacts on the community by promoting greater walkability and increased access to healthy food. The HIA made several recommendations, including management of parking to encourage active transportation and efficient land use; promoting physical activity with enhanced street grid connectivity and more through-routes; and promoting opportunities to grow food in home and community gardens.
The Health Impact Project’s toolkit contains resources that help communities, agencies, and other organizations take action to improve public health. The toolkit offers a collection of health impact assessments, guides, and other research to support policymakers’ efforts to consider health when making decisions across sectors, such as housing, planning, and education.
