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Integrating climate change into state hazard mitigation plans: A five-year follow-up survey of state hazard mitigation officers

Mix, E. C., Hamele, M., Dannenberg, A. L., Freitag, R., & Errett, N. A. (2024). Integrating climate change into state hazard mitigation plans: A five-year follow-up survey of state hazard mitigation officers. PLOS Climate, 3(10), e0000385-. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pclm.0000385.

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Abstract

Climate change is making disaster events more frequent and intense, increasing the risk to economic security, ecosystem health, and human health and well-being. Hazard mitigation planning, overseen in the United States by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), aims to reduce disaster risk by identifying hazards and taking action to reduce their impact. While FEMA policy requires states and territories to consider the risks of climate change in their plans, guidance remains broad. As a result, jurisdictions have taken different approaches to integrating climate change into their hazard mitigation plans (HMPs). Thirty of 56 U.S. State and Territorial Hazard Mitigation Officers (SHMOs) responded to a survey concerning climate planning, building on a similar survey conducted in 2018. A majority of respondents recognized that their jurisdictions are vulnerable to climate change and agreed that climate change is a threat to their jurisdictions both now and in the future. Respondents were motivated to integrate climate change into their HMPs by factors including increased evidence for climate change projections and disaster events in either their jurisdictions or neighboring ones. Among the most frequently reported barriers was reliance on historical patterns of hazard exposure. Most respondents had incorporated at least one climate change adaptation strategy into their HMPs but reported having insufficient resources to plan for and implement climate-related hazard mitigation activities. Findings suggest that state and territorial hazard mitigation planning programs are taking more steps to integrate climate change into their plans and that SHMOs are more aware of the risks that climate change poses than in 2018. Further research is needed to explore how best to support state-level hazard mitigation program response to climate change.

Equity issues associated with the widespread implementation of autonomous vehicles

Fatima, S., Hsiu Lee, C., & Dannenberg, A. L. (2024). Equity issues associated with the widespread implementation of autonomous vehicles. Oxford Open Infrastructure and Health, 2. https://doi.org/10.1093/ooih/ouae002.

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Abstract

Autonomous vehicles (AVs), either shared or privately owned, are predicted to become a common transport mode used by the general population in coming decades. Policies governing the use of AVs may increase or decrease social inequities. This review synthesizes existing literature and provides policy recommendations to enhance equity as the use of AVs becomes more widespread. We identified nine areas in which AVs could impact equity: (i) assessment of community mobility needs and priorities, (ii) education and outreach, (iii) disparities in infrastructure quality, (iv) equitable distribution of customer services, (v) access to AVs by persons with low incomes, (vi) shared infrastructure services, (vii) barriers to shared AV use, (viii) access to AVs by persons with disabilities and (ix) disruption of existing transportation jobs. Recommendations for promoting equitable use of AVs include (i) policies governing how jurisdictions oversee AV implementation and (ii) policies addressing how jurisdictions issue permits to AV service providers. Oversight policies include ensuring input from disadvantaged communities, providing subsidies for low-income users, establishing ride-sharing rules to protect vulnerable populations, reviewing the equity implications of proposed AV infrastructure improvements, providing retraining opportunities for those who may lose jobs due to AV implementation and monitoring the impact of AV policies implemented. Permitting processes include ensuring equitable access to AVs for low-income, minority, and older users and persons with disabilities, ensuring equitable distribution of AV service areas and verifying that data from all communities are incorporated into the artificial intelligence algorithms used to guide AVs.

Municipal Sidewalk Inventories: A Tool to Support Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act

Cahen, A., Dannenberg, A. L., & Kraft, M. K. (2024). Municipal Sidewalk Inventories: A Tool to Support Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Transportation Research Record. https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981241281738.

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Abstract

Sidewalks are a critical but underresourced part of our transportation system. Despite their importance in promoting equity, health, and safety, sidewalk networks are often underfunded and municipalities may have little information about their condition. We conducted a document review, informant interviews, and a descriptive study of 21 selected U.S. cities to compare practices for conducting sidewalk inventories and their use for improving municipal sidewalk networks. Although diverse in geography, population size, density, and median household income, the selected cities represent a sample of convenience and not a random sample of U.S. cities. The results suggested that compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act is a primary motivator for conducting sidewalk inventories and the cost of conducting an inventory is not prohibitive. Inventory methods included walking each sidewalk segment using handheld devices, LIDAR mounted on wheeled vehicles, and aerial photography, with data uploaded to geographic information system databases. Sidewalk inventories can be used to promote equity by increasing the percentage of city streets that have sidewalks. Areas for future study include developing better cost estimates for each type of sidewalk inventory method, examining the legal implications of sidewalk inventories, and estimating the incremental health benefits obtained for each additional investment in sidewalk construction and repair.

Economic impact on local businesses of road safety improvements in Seattle: implications for Vision Zero projects

Osterhage, D. R., Acolin, J., Fishman, P. A., & Dannenberg, A. L. (2024). Economic impact on local businesses of road safety improvements in Seattle: implications for Vision Zero projects. Injury Prevention, 30(6), 468–473. https://doi.org/10.1136/ip-2023-044934.

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Abstract

Background Local transportation agencies implementing Vision Zero road safety improvement projects often face opposition from business owners concerned about the potential negative impact on their sales. Few studies have documented the economic impact of these projects.

Methods We examined baseline and up to 3 years of postimprovement taxable sales data for retail, food and service-based businesses adjacent to seven road safety projects begun between 2006 and 2014 in Seattle. We used hierarchical linear models to test whether the change in annual taxable sales differed between the 7 intervention sites and 18 nearby matched comparison sites that had no road safety improvements within the study time frame.

Results Average annual taxable sales at baseline were comparable at the 7 intervention sites (US$44.7 million) and the 18 comparison sites (US$56.8 million). Regression analysis suggests that each additional year following baseline was associated with US$1.20 million more in taxable sales among intervention sites and US$1.14 million more among comparison sites. This difference is not statistically significant (p=0.64). Sensitivity analyses including a random slope, using a generalised linear model and an analysis of variance did not change conclusions.

Discussion Results suggest that road safety improvement projects such as those in Vision Zero plans are not associated with adverse economic impacts on adjacent businesses. The absence of negative economic impacts associated with pedestrian and bicycle road safety projects should reassure local business owners and may encourage them to work with transportation agencies to implement Vision Zero road safety projects designed to eliminate traffic-related injuries.

Let’s Be Clear-Health Impact Assessments or Assessing Health Impacts?

Kim, J., Dannenberg, A., Haigh, F., & Harris-Roxas, B. (2024). Let’s Be Clear—Health Impact Assessments or Assessing Health Impacts? Public Health Reviews, 45, 1607722-. https://doi.org/10.3389/phrs.2024.1607722

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Abstract

The article discusses the distinction between studies that assess health impacts and those that are specifically associated with health impact assessments (HIAs). It highlights the misuse of the term HIA in scholarly literature, where studies that evaluate health impacts are often labeled as HIAs. The authors emphasize that HIAs are intended to support decision-making and provide recommendations, rather than simply describing or evaluating health impacts. They suggest the need for better documentation of HIA recommendations and their impacts, as well as the development of reporting guidelines for academic HIA literature.

Keywords

decision making; health impact assessment; health risk assessment; policy recommendations; stakeholder engagement

Legacies of redlining lead to unequal cooling effects of urban tree canopy

Jung, M. C., Yost, M. G., Dannenberg, A. L., Dyson, K., & Alberti, M. (2024). Legacies of redlining lead to unequal cooling effects of urban tree canopy. Landscape and Urban Planning, 246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2024.105028
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Abstract

Redlining—a racially discriminatory policy of systematic disinvestment established by the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) in the 1930s and continued until the late 1960s—still influences the contemporary landscape of cities in the US. While the heterogeneous distribution of land surface temperature and tree canopy cover between neighborhoods with different HOLC grades have been recently examined, the development of long-term and city-specific heat management strategies is still limited. Here, we explored the effect of redlining in Portland, Oregon, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to assess its contemporary impact on climate equity. We performed a change analysis of land surface temperature and tree canopy area over the past and introduced mixed-effects models to test the intra- and inter-city differences in canopy cooling effects between the different HOLC grades. We found that (1) persistent temporal patterns of lower land surface temperatures and larger tree canopy areas are observed in higher HOLC grades, (2) greater green equity was achieved through contrasting temporal changes in tree canopy areas across HOLC grades in Portland and Philadelphia, and (3) opposite patterns exist between these cities, with stronger canopy cooling effects in neighborhoods with a Low HOLC grade in Portland and those with a High HOLC grade in Philadelphia. Differences in tree canopy change between the two cities over the past decade highlight potential influences of city-specific tree planting practices. Local planners should back tree planting initiatives to equitably mitigate urban heat exposure, considering historical redlining contexts and contemporary landscape features.

Keywords

Redlining; HOLC grade; Tree canopy; Land surface temperature; Tree equity

Built Environment and Public Health: More Than 20 Years of Progress

Rollings, K. A., Dannenberg, A. L., Frumkin, H., & Jackson, R. J. (2024). Built Environment and Public Health: More Than 20 Years of Progress. American Journal of Public Health (1971), 114(1), 27-.

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Abstract

Early BEH research addressed influences of toxic environmental exposures, zoning laws, building codes, and healthy housing and communities on asthma, injury, violence, healthy and unhealthy food consumption, mental health, social capital, and health inequities.1 Awareness increased regarding the benefits of denser, more walkable, and less automobile-dependent settings, as well as the accessibility, mobility, and livability needs of the growing aging population. Work on automobile dependence, traffic safety, walking and biking, commuting, and sedentary time was primarily driven by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Active Living Research initiative to promote active living via environment, policy, and practice improvements3,4 Research linked specific building and community features to health outcomes, enabling more effective interventions such as appealing stairways, ample sidewalks, and vibrant activity centers.5 The business case for health promoting, walkable places was documented.6 Unintended consequences, including gentrification and displacement, of interventions aimed at improving health among people from racial and ethnic minority groups and of lower incomes were increasingly recognized, resulting in more research focused on how to mitigate these risks.7 The history of structural racism, segregation, redlining, neighborhood disinvestment, health inequities, and disparities in walkability, housing, and green space access was only recently widely acknowledged.8 Numerous books (Table E, available as a supplement to the online version of this article at http://www.ajph.org) and dozens of BEH measures (e.g., walkability [https://www.wal kscore. com], access to parks [https://www.tpl. org/ParkScore], livability [http://www. livabilitylndex.AARP.org], and brain health [https://cognability.isr.umich. edu]) were also published, reflecting the growth and maturation of the field. The effects of these evolving technologies on land use, housing, economic and community development, traffic patterns, transportation planning and infrastructure, air quality, and associated health outcomes require further research and evaluation (Table G, reference 3).10 PRACTICE Professional organizations across disciplines established BEH committees and working groups (Table F, available as a supplement to the online version of this article at http://www.ajph.org), promoting healthy building and community design through conferences, reports, training, and advocacy (e.g., https://www. Health impact assessments (HIAs) were used to consider potential health impacts of proposed projects and programs and identify disproportionately affected populations as well as how to mitigate adverse effects9,11,12 HIAs improved collaboration, amplified community member voices, increased awareness of health issues, and informed decision makers, but the time and resources required to complete HIAs limited their success.12 Cross-disciplinary public health, planning, policy, real estate, architecture, engineering, transportation, and public-private partnership efforts, along with Complete Streets approaches (https://highways.dot.gov/ complete-streets), improved pedestrian infrastructure and safety.

Awardees of 2021 Population Health Institute Pilot Research Grants Final Project Outcomes

In March 2021, Population Health Initiative awarded 8 pilot grants. The team below includes CBE researcher Andrew Dannenberg, read more about their final project outcomes. A Collaboratory to Support Equitable and Just Climate Action Investigators Jeremy Hess, Departments of Emergency Medicine, Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, and Global Health Jason Vogel, Climate Impacts Group Julian Marshall, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering Sara Curran, Jackson School of International Studies and Department of Sociology Kris Ebi, Departments of Environmental & Occupational…

Understanding and Improving Arterial Roads to Support Public Health and Transportation Goals

McAndrews, Carolyn; Pollack, Keshia M.; Berrigan, David; Dannenberg, Andrew L.; Christopher, Ed J. (2017). Understanding and Improving Arterial Roads to Support Public Health and Transportation Goals. American Journal Of Public Health, 107(8), 1278 – 1282.

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Abstract

Arterials are types of roads designed to carry high volumes of motorized traffic. They are an integral part of transportation systems worldwide and exposure to them is ubiquitous, especially in urban areas. Arterials provide access to diverse commercial and cultural resources, which can positively influence community health by supporting social cohesion as well as economic and cultural opportunities. They can negatively influence health via safety issues, noise, air pollution, and lack of economic development. The aims of public health and transportation partially overlap; efforts to improve arterials can meet goals of both professions. Two trends in arterial design show promise. First, transportation professionals increasingly define the performance of arterials via metrics accounting for pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, and nearby residents in addition to motor vehicle users. Second, applying traffic engineering and design can generate safety, air quality, and livability benefits, but we need evidence to support these interventions. We describe the importance of arterials (including exposures, health behaviors, effects on equity, and resulting health outcomes) and make the case For public health collaborations with the transportation sector.

Keywords

Arterial Roads; Public Health -- United States; Public Health -- Social Aspects; Road Construction; Transportation & Society; Health; Air Pollution; Social Cohesion; Influence; Physiological Effects Of Noise; Interprofessional Relations; Metropolitan Areas; Motor Vehicles; Public Health; Transportation; Low-birth-weight; Air-pollution; Land-use; Policy