Peer Review Sessions: Healthy Planning Research and Tools

The San Francisco Department of Public Health’s Program on Health, Equity and Sustainability has been co-sponsoring the Healthy Planning Research and Tools Peer Review Sessions with the Healthy Places Coalition since 2008. These bi-monthly sessions are a forum for peer review, education, dissemination, and discussion of tools, resources and research used by professionals in public health, planning and related fields to incorporate health considerations into planning and policy decisions. The sessions are conducted in collaboration with the Healthy Places Coalition - a statewide coalition of practitioners from the planning, public health, parks and recreation, and related fields, community advocates, academics, and concerned individuals committed to social and health equity and to advancing public health involvement in land-use and transportation planning to ensure that all neighborhoods in California promote the opportunity to live a healthy life.

Sessions are held on the fourth Thursday of the month in the San Francisco Bay Area, and participants also call in and participate via teleconference from around the state. The typical session format is 45 minutes of presentation on the research or tool topic - followed by 45 minutes of interactive discussion and feedback from participants. Presenters are strongly encouraged to come to present “works in progress” that they feel would benefit from feedback from an interdisciplinary, healthy planning perspective. Following is a summary of previous sessions.

Contact Megan Wier at SFDPH or Heather Wooten at Public Health Law and Policy if you are interested in presenting your work at a future session for peer review and feedback.

Contact Megan Wier at SFDPH to be added to the email list, or for additional information regarding past sessions.

BI-MONTHLY PEER REVIEW SESSIONS: 2008 – present
(in reverse chronological order)

May 2010: A Health Impact Assessment of the Port of Oakland

Edmund Seto of the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health gave an overview of “A Health Impact Assessment of the Port of Oakland: Scope and Opportunities for Expanding Existing Practice” for the May 2010 peer review session. He discussed the process of conducting the HIA with UC Berkeley students and faculty in consultation with local stakeholders, and how it broadens health considerations beyond traditional air pollution analyses to the multiple, cumulative positive and negative ways in which a port can affect a community. He shared some of HIA analyses of air pollution from the surrounding freeways and local roadways, community noise from vehicle and train traffic, truck-pedestrian injuries, land use and retail needs, and labor opportunities. Participants discussed some assumptions in these analyses and ideas for how the port, community residents, and city agencies may use these findings to create longer-term health-promoting solutions. For additional information regarding this research please email Edmund Seto or visit the UC Berkeley Health Impact Group website.

March 2010: Strategies for California’s Local Health Agencies

In March 2010, Heather Kuiper of the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health shared her research on “Creating Healthy Places: Strategies for California's Local Health Agencies.” Using surveys and comparative case studies, her study evaluated 326 responses from local public health and environmental health leaders and staff, and the professionals with whom they work from the planning, political and private sectors. Study findings identified organizational and leadership characteristics, strategies, and collaborations that facilitate achieving healthy places, as well as prominent barriers. Participants discussed how the findings reflected their experiences conducting work that addresses health in the context of planning, approaches to overcoming common barriers, and how this study could inform additional resources and tools that could support collaborative efforts to create healthy places. For additional information regarding this research, please email Heather Kuiper.

January 2010: The Bicycle Environmental Quality Index

SFDPH’s Program on Health, Equity and Sustainability began the 2010 peer review sessions with a presentation on “The Bicycle Environmental Quality Index (BEQI): Development, Application, and Health Implications in San Francisco.” The session presentation provided an overview of the BEQI methodology, data collection and applications in San Francisco’s urban environment. Public health and transportation planning professionals asked questions regarding the selection and definition of indicators included in the BEQI, scoring, and interpretation, and engaged in a discussion regarding analytic strategies and potential applications and refinements. For more information regarding the BEQI, including a data collection manual, database and GIS files as well as a methods report, please visit the BEQI web pages.

September 2009: Managing San Francisco’s Urban Watershed

Rosey Jencks and Sarah Minick of the Urban Watershed Management Program at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission presented "Managing San Francisco's Urban Watershed: Opportunities and Questions for Public Health" in the September 2009 session. They provided an overview of the San Francisco Stormwater Design Guidelines and watershed management strategies including low impact design, rainwater harvesting, watershed planning efforts, and demonstration projects encompassing new design principles and concepts for San Francisco. Participants asked questions about the perceived and actual public health benefits and risks; barriers to implementation; and discussed public health research questions and strategies needed to support healthy watershed management. Additional information regarding the Urban Watershed Management Program can be accessed on the SFPUC website under Stormwater Management.

July 2009: Expanding Health in Land Use Planning

In July 2009, the San Mateo County Health System presented on “Localizing and expanding health involvement in land use planning: Developing a “healthy” Local Resources Tool for San Mateo County's 22cities.” The session provided an overview of the work San Mateo County has been conducting to support cities to: consider health in the early stages of their RFP development and community outreach; connect an individual city’s General/Community Plan to county-wide efforts; and contact County Health System staff who can then work with key cities on reviewing specific policy language, identifying priority areas and addressing specific health issues. Participants asked questions regarding the challenges the county faced in developing and implementing this approach and strategies for overcoming them, and provided feedback regarding additional issues to address in future iterations of the Local Resources Tool. Additional information regarding this work in San Mateo County can be accessed through the Health Policy and Planning Division or by emailing Cathleen Baker.

May 2009: Pedestrian Safety Assessments

In May 2009, Fehr & Peers presented “Pedestrian Safety Assessments: Opportunities Incorporating Public Health Practice and Standards.” The session included information o n the technical guide to conduct pedestrian safety assessments (PSAs) that Fehr & Peers created on behalf of the California Office of Traffic Safety and the UC Berkley Institute for Transportation Studies Technology Transfer Program, which incorporates best practices in pedestrian safety engineering, planning, and policy. The guide is now in use across the state, and PSAs are offered to cities free of charge. Participants provided feedback specific to the incorporation of public health stakeholders and standards into the PSAs, including how public health issues could be incorporated into the walking audit checklist and groups/stakeholders that cities could invite to participate in the PSAs. Additional information and a full copy of the technical guide are available.

March 2009: Joint Use School Partnerships

In March 2009, Planning for Healthy Places (PHP) at Public Health Law & Policy shared their work on “Joint Use School Partnerships: A Toolkit.” The session included a presentation on a toolkit to help communities and school districts work together to increase access to recreational facilities on school grounds, developed with public health professionals in mind. Participants provided feedback regarding additional questions to be addressed in the presentation, and messages that would be helpful to reach public health practitioners as stakeholders. Jointuse.org is an interactive website that provides the tools and resources to launch successful joint use agreements.

January 2009: The Pedestrian Environmental Quality Index

In January 2009, SFDPH presented “The Pedestrian Environmental Quality Index (PEQI): Development, Application, and Health Implications in San Francisco.” The session provided an overview of the PEQI methodology, data collection and application in an urban setting. Participants asked questions and provided feedback regarding the selection and definition of indicators included in the PEQI, scoring, analysis, and discussed potential future applications. More information regarding the PEQI, including a detailed methods report and data collection materials.

October 2008: Community Surveys in HIA

October 2008’s session featured Human Impact Partners (HIP) discussing ”Qualitative Data Collection and Community Participation in Health Impact Assessment: a Community Survey in Los Angeles.” The session focused on their work on a community survey with LA ACORN which helped prioritize a scope and set of research questions for an HIA of an affordable housing development. Participants discussed the strengths, limitations and caveats of using a community survey to collect qualitative and quantitative data for use in health impact assessments – and how this data and research approach can be best used. Additional information regarding this and other HIP projects is available at the HIP website.

August 2008: A Framework for Defining Sustainable Food Retail

In August 2008, Planning for Healthy Places (PHP) at Public Health Law & Policy presented “A Framework for Defining Sustainable Food Retail, ” which they have been developing in support of the concept that food retailers can make decisions that create opportunities to make the food system economically, ecologically and socially sustainable. The discussion included feedback on the values and language included in the framework, proposed measures and ratings, concepts that could be added, and potential opportunities, challenges and issues to address in applying the framework. Updated information regarding this framework can be accessed on the Food First website.

June 2008: Neighborhood Completeness Indicators

The sessions began in June 2008, with SFDPH presenting “Neighborhood Completeness Indicators: Research from San Francisco,” featuring new research to develop indicators for key public and retail services, using ArcGIS mapping software and data from numerous sources. Participants gave feedback regarding alternative strategies for analysis, scoring or weighting of indicators, spatial and visual presentation, and other services to consider – as well as how they thought the Neighborhood Completeness Indicators could support their work. Additional information regarding the Neighborhood Completeness Indicator is available.