Contribution to healthy places: Risks of equity free health impact assessment

Abstract

While health equity is central to health impact assessment [HIA], in reality, less is known about potential impacts of equity-free HIA on social inequalities. We assessed equity-free HIA case in a small city east of Montreal, which took place in a context of urban revitalization. We applied a combination of a quantitative review of community characteristics with a qualitative descriptive approach based on in-depth semi-structured interviews and a focus group with multiple stakeholders to shed light on the pitfalls of equity-free HIA. Our results pointed to gentrification process with a gradual relocation of low-income residents in the end. To mitigate mediating circumstances of gentrification and displacement, the municipality should support social housing or at least should ensure rent stabilization ordinance.

Keywords: Built environment; Evaluation; Food access; Gentrification; Health equity; Health impact assessment; Urban revitalization.