Environmental Sustainability and Health
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is the regulatory process that guides the evaluation and disclosure of potential environmental impacts of a proposed action on humans and the environment. This is especially true for transportation infrastructure actions that use federal money or require federal permits; projects such as new highways, passenger rail lines, major bridges and airports. Traditional social, economic, and environmental analyses include assessments of noise, air quality and potential exposure to hazardous waste. In addition, environmental justice factors such as livability, community culture, neighborhood cohesion, and public place-making have been important considerations during the assessment of the impacts and benefits of infrastructure projects. Only through the assessment of health impacts can the linkages between the public’s health and sound transportation decisions can be made.
EPA Webpage on Health Impact Assessment: http://www.epa.gov/ordntrnt/ORD/Sustainability/analytics/health-impact.htm?utm_content=buffer7c215&utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer
EPA Research Suggests:
1. People who live, work, or attend school near major roads are at increased risk of health problems related to roadway air pollution such as asthma, cardiovascular disease, low birth weight, pre-term birth, premature death, reduced lung function, and impaired lung development in children.
2. Breathing high levels of polluted air (containing PM2.5) and ground-level ozone can cause lung inflammation, decreased lung function, and an increase in asthma attacks (airway constriction of smooth muscles and mucus plugging).
3. >5% of heart disease deaths could be associated with air pollution and ozone exposure (vasoconstriction). Heart attack survivors who live <100 meters (328 feet) from a major road have a 27% increased risk of dying over 10 years than those living at least 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) away.
For more information on the EPA research points mentioned, please check out the EPA Science Matters Newsletter at: http://www.epa.gov/sciencematters/index.htm
EPA Webpage on Health Impact Assessment: http://www.epa.gov/ordntrnt/ORD/Sustainability/analytics/health-impact.htm?utm_content=buffer7c215&utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer
EPA Research Suggests:
1. People who live, work, or attend school near major roads are at increased risk of health problems related to roadway air pollution such as asthma, cardiovascular disease, low birth weight, pre-term birth, premature death, reduced lung function, and impaired lung development in children.
2. Breathing high levels of polluted air (containing PM2.5) and ground-level ozone can cause lung inflammation, decreased lung function, and an increase in asthma attacks (airway constriction of smooth muscles and mucus plugging).
3. >5% of heart disease deaths could be associated with air pollution and ozone exposure (vasoconstriction). Heart attack survivors who live <100 meters (328 feet) from a major road have a 27% increased risk of dying over 10 years than those living at least 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) away.
For more information on the EPA research points mentioned, please check out the EPA Science Matters Newsletter at: http://www.epa.gov/sciencematters/index.htm
| naep_environmental_practice.pdf |
Smart Growth and Economic Success: Benefits for Real Estate Developers, Investors, Businesses, and Local Governments
Executive Summary
Smart growth development is compact and walkable and provides a diverse range of choices in land uses, building types, transportation, homes, workplace locations, and stores. Such development projects are attractive to private-sector interests because they can find a ready market and compete financially. They appeal to local governments because they can be the building blocks of a growing economy and high-quality, economically sustainable neighborhoods and communities while also helping to create a cleaner, healthier environment. Some of the advantages for developers, communities, and local governments associated with smart growth include:
The report attached below is the first in a series from EPA’s Smart Growth Program designed to inform developers, businesses, local government, and other groups about the benefits of smart growth development. Additional reports will build on this work, exploring how real estate developers and investors can overcome real and perceived barriers to benefit from infill opportunities, how decisions about where to locate will impact the bottom lines of businesses, and why smart growth strategies are good fiscal policy for local governments.
Smart growth development is compact and walkable and provides a diverse range of choices in land uses, building types, transportation, homes, workplace locations, and stores. Such development projects are attractive to private-sector interests because they can find a ready market and compete financially. They appeal to local governments because they can be the building blocks of a growing economy and high-quality, economically sustainable neighborhoods and communities while also helping to create a cleaner, healthier environment. Some of the advantages for developers, communities, and local governments associated with smart growth include:
- Compact Development: Using land and resources more efficiently and redeveloping old or neglected areas while retaining existing infrastructure can create economic advantages for real estate developers and investors, businesses, and local governments. Compact development can generate more revenue per acre because it uses land more efficiently. It can reduce the costs of land and infrastructure for individual projects and the costs of providing fire and police protection, utilities, schools, and other public amenities. By locating companies closer together, compact development can create a density of employment that increases economic productivity and attracts additional investment.
- Walkability: Walkable neighborhoods have well-connected streets and a mix of land uses near each other, making not only walking but also bicycling and transit more convenient and appealing. Projects in walkable neighborhoods command a price premium, earning real estate developers and investors a higher return on investment. Improvements to streets and sidewalks to make them more appealing to pedestrians can benefit local businesses by attracting more customers. In turn, local governments benefit through additional property and sales tax revenue.
- Range of Choices: People and businesses value places that bring together a variety of activities to create vibrant environments. The demand for such places exceeds the supply. Many people in the two largest demographic cohorts, baby boomers and their children, are particularly interested in lively neighborhoods with their daily needs close by. Communities with access to transit also help people reduce their transportation costs, enabling them to save money or spend more on their homes, entertainment, or other things they value. Changing demographics will likely further increase the demand for smart growth development over the coming decades; developers, investors, businesses, and local governments who respond to these market preferences could reap economic advantages.
The report attached below is the first in a series from EPA’s Smart Growth Program designed to inform developers, businesses, local government, and other groups about the benefits of smart growth development. Additional reports will build on this work, exploring how real estate developers and investors can overcome real and perceived barriers to benefit from infill opportunities, how decisions about where to locate will impact the bottom lines of businesses, and why smart growth strategies are good fiscal policy for local governments.
| economic_success.pdf |
Eco-Health Relationship Browser
The EPA Sustainable and Healthy Communities Research Program is pleased to announce the launch of the Eco-Health Relationship Browser. The Eco-Health Relationship Browser illustrates the linkages between human health and ecosystem services benefits supplied by nature. This interactive tool provides information about our nation's ecosystems, the services they provide, and how those services, or their degradation and loss, may affect people and communities.
Ecosystems, such as wetlands and forests, provide a wide variety of goods and services, many of which we use every day. However, some of these services, such as air filtration, are not obvious and it therefore may be hard to understand the impact they have on our daily lives.
Scientific studies have documented the many tangible and intangible services and health benefits that are provided by our surrounding ecosystems. This tool is designed so that users can easily explore the services ecosystems provide and how those services affect human health and well-being. It is important to note that the studies summarized in this tool are by no means an exhaustive list. However, the inclusion of over 300 peer-reviewed papers makes this browser an exceptional compendium of current science on this topic.
If you have questions or comments please contact Laura Jackson at jackson.laura@epa.gov
Ecosystems, such as wetlands and forests, provide a wide variety of goods and services, many of which we use every day. However, some of these services, such as air filtration, are not obvious and it therefore may be hard to understand the impact they have on our daily lives.
Scientific studies have documented the many tangible and intangible services and health benefits that are provided by our surrounding ecosystems. This tool is designed so that users can easily explore the services ecosystems provide and how those services affect human health and well-being. It is important to note that the studies summarized in this tool are by no means an exhaustive list. However, the inclusion of over 300 peer-reviewed papers makes this browser an exceptional compendium of current science on this topic.
If you have questions or comments please contact Laura Jackson at jackson.laura@epa.gov
Graphic created by Ron Deverman, Associate Vice President, Environmental Planning, HNTB Corporation to demonstrate the early and consistent involvement of the community as a stakeholder in the planning and development of a transportation infrastructure project covered under NEPA.
For more information on NEPA and/or the environmental review process contact:
Ron Deverman, MA
Associate Vice-President, Environmental Planning
HNTB Corporation
111 N. Canal Street, Suite 1250
Chicago, Illinois 60606
(312) 798-0221
rdeverman@hntb.com
Ron Deverman, MA
Associate Vice-President, Environmental Planning
HNTB Corporation
111 N. Canal Street, Suite 1250
Chicago, Illinois 60606
(312) 798-0221
rdeverman@hntb.com
| deverman_environment_presentation_final.pdf |