This article discusses the intersection of public health and real estate development in addressing the challenges facing cities today. It emphasizes the potential of development projects to enhance communities by addressing inequality, environmental racism, health outcomes, and climate change. The authors emphasize the importance of sophisticated tools and methods to ensure that projects have a positive impact on communities and stakeholders.
Adele Houghton and Matthew Kiefer collaborated to explore how health status analysis, a public health technique, can inform real estate development to meet community needs, developer goals, and city directives.
Public health intersects with real estate development in a variety of ways, especially as building design and development affects not only the individuals within a building, but also the broader community. Architects and developers are increasingly taking public health considerations into account in their projects, looking beyond the property line to understand how sites can positively impact their surroundings.
Health status analysis is an important methodology used to assess the health of a community and inform design strategies. It involves analyzing datasets related to social determinants of health, community health indicators, and the impacts of climate change on health. By incorporating this analysis into the design process, architects and developers can tailor projects to meet the health needs of building occupants and the surrounding community.
In addition to data analysis, community engagement plays a critical role in understanding local needs and gaining public acceptance of development projects. Health status analysis provides a framework for communicating how a project will benefit the community in terms of public health.
Cost-benefit analyses are used to assess the effectiveness of proposed health interventions in real estate projects. While a developer's primary goal is to create viable projects, considering public health impacts can enhance the value proposition and contribute to positive community outcomes.
Applying health status analysis to housing projects is particularly impactful because it can address broader housing issues such as affordability and community well-being. By incorporating public health considerations into the development process, barriers to housing construction can be overcome, making communities more inclusive and sustainable.
A case study from Boston called P3 demonstrates how a health status analysis was applied to a development site to address specific community health issues, such as vulnerability to heat and flooding. The analysis fostered dialog among stakeholders and informed design decisions that met the needs of the community.
Outside of academia, efforts are underway to translate health status analysis into practical action through consulting, training programs, and the development of automated tools. By engaging stakeholders and integrating public health into the development process, projects can better meet community needs and have a positive social impact.
Overall, this article advocates for the incorporation of public health principles into the real estate development process to create projects that positively contribute to community health and well-being.