HEALTHY PLACES
The Center seeks to contribute to the understanding and development of healthy places by conducting research, disseminating innovative ideas on healthy places, and supporting the Healthy Places Research Group.
PROJECTS |
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Hospital Impacts on Community Health: A Study of Piedmont Hospital (2008) |
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Georgia Tech’s Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development, with technical assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, assessed the public health impacts on people living and working near a large hospital. This study builds on the Atlanta BeltLine Health Impact Assessment (HIA) by focusing on Piedmont Hospital, which is located in one of the BeltLine’s key redevelopment nodes. Significant public and private investment will be targeted in this area. This Health Impact Assessment thus provides scholars and the public more information in improving public health and promoting active living in this area through redevelopment. |
City of Decatur, GA Community Transportation Plan and Rapid HIA (2007) |
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Active Living through active travel is the call to action for the City of Decatur, GA. Decatur, a city of approximately 20,000 residents located in the largely auto-oriented Atlanta metropolitan area, has chosen to take a decidedly different course than many of its neighboring cities. It has embraced the principles and research surrounding active living to develop a Community Transportation Plan. Decatur has created a new Active Living Division within the Department of Community and Economic Development. The Division will combine traditional recreation programs with quality of life programs like environmental sustainability, alternative transportation planning and efforts to encourage an active living lifestyle. The International City/County Management Association is committed to track the outcomes and community benefits of Decatur’s Active Living Division in a two-year study that will identify performance measures and best practices for other cities. |
Healthy Housing: Forging the Economic and Empirical Foundation (2007) |
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Healthy Housing: Forging the Economic and Empirical Foundation identifies the economic and empirical links between housing and health, develops a new conceptual model on the complex effects of housing on health, identifies the direct and indirect links between housing and health, benchmarks the current housing and health link for the 13-county Atlanta region, and presents recommendations and future research needs to strengthen the link between housing and health. |
City of Milton, GA Bike and Pedestrian Plan (2007) |
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CQGRD worked in conjunction with Georgia Tech's City and Regional Planning Program and the Center for GIS to produce a Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan for the newly established City of Milton, GA. This plan proposes a network of multiuse trails to connect Milton’s neighborhoods with its parks, schools, libraries, stores, sports facilities, and other public spaces. |
Atlanta BeltLine Health Impact Assessment (2007) |
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The Atlanta BeltLine would convert a 22-mile span of freight railway into a transit and trail loop, surrounded by parks and residential and commercial development. When we start a new development project, are we building a healthy place? How do we understand the health impacts of a new development? To answer these questions for the Atlanta BeltLine redevelopment project, CQGRD conducted a Health Impact Assessment (HIA). A HIA is a collection of procedures and tools by which projects, policies, and programs can be evaluated based on their potential effects on the health of a population and the distribution of those effects within the population. While the HIA tool is widely used abroad, the BeltLine HIA is one of the first conducted in the United States. |
Health Impact Assessment: Tool for Planning and Analysis (2004) |
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PROCEEDINGS |
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Healthy Places Research Group (2003-Present) |
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The Healthy Places Research Group (HPRG) is a collaborative effort involving Georgia Tech's College of Architecture, Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health, Georgia State University’s College of Health and Human Sciences, and the Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development. It also involves professionals from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), researchers, students, and others interested in exploring the co-relationship between the built environment and the health of communities. In monthly meetings, members learn about the most recent research and practices regarding health and the built environment. As a result, several research collaboration and student learning opportunities have emerged. Participation is open to anyone interested in exploring the characteristics and advancement of healthy places. |
NSF ADVANCE Program for Institutional Transformation (2009-Present) |
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ADVANCE is dedicated to analyzing and eliminating gender disparities in the academic setting. At Georgia Tech, it provides resources to: reduce gender bias within the academic setting; mitigate barriers for academics due to family responsibilities; and increase career advancement opportunities for women in the sciences. Dr. Catherine Ross, director of CQGRD, serves as the ADVANCE Professor for Georgia Tech's College of Architecture, tasked with leading the program for the College. |
