GREEN STREETS: A Health Impact Assessment of the Lawrence Green Streets Program

 

In recognition of National Public Health Week (April 3-9, 2017) and in the spirit of APA’s Plan4Health Project, the APA-MA Chapter and SCD Division of APA just released a comprehensive Health Impact Assessment on the Benefits of Streets Trees in the built environment.

The physical environment in which we live is an important determinant of human health. Green infrastructure elements such as street trees can play an important role in the mental health, physical activity, and social interaction of residents. In 2016, Massachusetts planners and members of the American Planning Association’s Sustainable Communities Division partnered with Groundwork Lawrence on a volunteer service project to measure the health benefits of the Green Streets Program. This program’s goal is to plant 2,400 trees throughout the City of Lawrence over a 3-year period. To promote the program and achieve this goal, APA-SCD worked collaboratively with Groundwork Lawrence and residents in Lawrence to conduct a Health Impact Assessment to analyze the potential health benefits of street tree planting in the City. The result was a comprehensive assessment and evaluation of the physical, environmental and social impacts of street tree planting in Lawrence.

The final report provides an overview of the Green Streets Program HIA process, a summary of findings, recommendations and the resources that were developed by the APA-SCD team to achieve the Green Streets Program goals.  Deliverables include an Infographic highlighting the benefits of street trees in a community, a logo and a tagline to boost participation in the Program: Good for Lawrence – Great for You. The deliverables were translated into Spanish to engage the large Latino population in Lawrence. Throughout the project, the APA-SCD team documented their steps to ensure this process could be replicated by planners in any community. For more information, please contact:
Neil Angus, AICP, neilangus@devensec.com or
Angela Vincent, AICP, avincent@mvpc.org.