DENVER - A new idea is taking root among doctors, communities and social agencies, one that has the potential to change how land-use is planned and designed. Health impact assessments (HIA) basically is a decision-making instrument that looks at ways to develop a more healthful overall environment, the New York Times reports.

One such area being redeveloped with HIA in mind is La Alma/Lincoln Park in Denver. The 17-acre property, called Mariposa, will add geothermal and solar power to provide up to 60% of the energy needed for the residential buildings. Neighborhood gardens will dot the area, and staircases will be located in the center and be well lit.

"As we talked to residents, we began to learn from their perspective that having new housing would be great, but that it alone wouldn??t improve their quality of life or create a path to success or sustainability for them," said Ismael Guerrero, executive director of the Denver Housing Authority. "So we came at this from the point of view of, How are we going to transform this neighborhood into a healthy, vibrant community?"

European communities have used HIA for years, but the United States didn??t start seeing interest until 1999. Today, around 200 HIAs have been done or are being evaluated, up sharply from 50 in 2008, according to Dr. Aaron Wernham, project director for the Health Impact Project.

"People in the public health world and in the business and development world are waking up to the need to get at health care problems and bring down health care costs," said Wernham. "So we see a fair amount of uptake in certain sectors ?" the health impact assessment is out there and growing."

HIAs look at the design of the building and also the surrounding community. Of concern to retailers is that some assessments are excluding the sale of alcohol or cigarettes within a mile of schools or low-income housing units. Also, most health impact assessment studies are done on a voluntary basis, but some federal and state legislators are pushing to mandate these for development projects. NACS is keeping an eye on any potential mandates at the state and federal level.