Predict and assess the effects of various proposed projects and policies on health
Guidance and tools
Tools to assess, plan and finance healthy and climate-adapted cities; and assess the full range of health and economic impacts from sector policies and air quality interventions.
These tools allow urban planners and policy makers to estimate potential economic, health and environmental impacts from particular sectors, track health indicators, and incorporate health considerations in the decision-making process. The Urban Health Initiative is adapting, testing and applying several available tools to assess the health and economic impacts of policies in two pilot cities Accra, Ghana and Kathmandu, Nepal.
Online repository of more than 100 open access resources and tools for integrating health in urban and territorial planning to develop healthy urban environments.
The WHO air quality database compiles data on ground measurements of annual mean concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter
An online tool to estimate the value of reduced mortality that results from regular walking or cycling
iSThAT is a simplified methodological framework and accompanying software tool for the evaluation of the health and economic benefits of carbon reduction measures in the context of urban transportation
Software that quantifies the impacts of green spaces at urban scale. The tool can serve as an educational, communication and scientific support
contains tools and resources for countries to develop clean household energy policies and programmes
The OneHealth Tool is a software tool designed to inform national strategic health planning in low- and middle-income countries
Links to other open tools from multiple organizations
The following open tools enable users to calculate air pollution emissions and impacts. The calculations will allow users to assess sector policies and land use planning consequences on health. These software tools support analysis and encourage engagement among multiple stakeholders regarding the impacts of human activity on the environment and on health.
- APHEKOM
Improving Knowledge and Communication for Decision Making on Air Pollution and Health in Europe – A simple spreadsheet to calculate the impacts of air pollution. - BenMAP
BenMAP (Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program) – Advanced tool for the calculations of the impacts of air pollution on health, with GIS capabilities. - GAINS
GAINS (Greenhouse gas-Air pollution Interactions and Synergies) – Software that provides a framework for assessing strategies that reduce emissions of multiple air pollutants and greenhouse gases at least costs, and minimize their negative effects on human health, ecosystems and climate change. - Household Air Pollution Interventions Tool – HAPIT
HAPIT estimates health changes due to interventions designed to lower exposures to household air pollution (HAP) of household members currently using unclean fuels (wood, dung, coal, kerosene, and others). These interventions include cleaner burning stoves, cleaner fuels, providing chimneys or other ventilation changes, moving the traditional hearth to a different location, changes in behavior, or a combination of the above. - ITHIM
ITHIM (Integrated Transport and Health Impact Modelling Tool) performs integrated urban and national level assessments of the health impacts of transport scenarios and policies, including: changes in physical activity, road traffic injury risk, and exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution (i.e. transportation mode shift). ITHIM estimates the health impacts of scenarios, compares the impact of travel patterns in different places, and models the impact of interventions. Changes in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions can also be modelled. - iTree
iTree (Tools for Assessing Forests & Community Trees) – The i-Tree suite of software tools helps users to evaluate and manage the structure, function, and value of trees and forests regardless of community size or technical capacity. Estimate tree and forest ecosystem services and monetary values of annual environmental benefits such as: air quality improvement and associated public health impacts; Carbon dioxide reduction; Stormwater control; Tree-building related energy effects - Non-Motorized Transport – Project Appraisal Tool – NMT
NMT-PAT (Non-Motorized Transportation – Project Appraisal Tool) is an excel based tool to calculate the costs, and health, social, economic and environmental benefits of walking and cycling projects using common, aggregate transport and economic data, and local institutional knowledge to gain insight into the viability of NMT infrastructure projects in cities. - Solid Waste Emissions Estimation Tool – SWEET
SWEET (Solid Waste Emissions Estimation Tool) – It is an Excel-based tool that quantifies emissions of methane, black carbon, and other pollutants from sources of municipal solid waste. Cities can use this information for multiple purposes, including establishing a baseline scenario, comparing a baseline scenario to as many as four alternative scenarios.