Social Impact Assessments

These studies analyzed the social impacts of two urban open space improvement projects.  The two sites, in a Los Angeles, California neighborhood and El Paso, Texas’s downtown, were in communities that were largely Hispanic and underdeveloped in public amenities.  Both studies used a three-part evaluation framework to determine social, environmental, and economic impacts, but focused especially on social impacts, drawing on several of the six major social determinants of health.  The teams used various research tools and methods: thermal imaging cameras, temperature and humidity sensors, decibel meters, surveys, interviews, tabulated site data on usage and biodiversity, and reviews of community aims from the engagement process.  The investigation was funded by Landscape Architecture Foundation’s Landscape Performance Series through a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Arts Works grant.  The project continues SWA’s efforts in post-occupancy assessment.