Policy Impact Analysis

Question 1

Policy Impact Analysis

Answer 1

Policy impact analysis - and relatedly, policy evaluation and policy assessment - is a professional field in its own right, and planners make use of their methods. Analysis can focus on environmental, economic or social impact. Note that there is a difference between assessment and evaluation. Assessment analyses the intended and unintended consequences of policies, plans, programs, and projects. Evaluation examines a plan, project, or program against a set of criteria, usually to establish organizational accountability.

Question 2

Fiscal Impact Analysis

Answer 2

Evaluating fiscal impacts is an important part of planning policy evaluation. The purpose of fiscal impact analysis is to estimate the impact of a development or a land use change or a plan on the costs and revenues of governmental units serving the development. A fiscal impact analysis would involve looking at

• a city’s property tax rate
• The average cost of educating a child in the local school system
• the average cost per square foot of constructing a public building.

(it would not involve historic trends in assessed valuation)

Note that a fiscal impact analysis is different from an economic impact analysis, which focues on the cash flow to the private sector (measured in income, jobs, output, indirect impacts, etc.)

Question 3

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Answer 3

A quantified comparison of costs and benefits generally expressed in monetary or numerical terms. The actual and hidden costs of a proposed project are measured against the benefits to be received from the project.

Question 4

Environmental Impact Analysis

Answer 4

An environmental assessment is required to determine whether there is a significant environmental impact of a project. NEPA requires the preparation of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIS) where necessary. An EIS is required for federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment. If the environmental assessment determines that there is a significant impact, then an environmental impact statement is required.

Question 5

National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA)

Answer 5

resulted in the creation of the Council on Environmental Quality. NEPA requires that the environmental impacts of a project be considered.

Question 6

Scoping (In relation to EIS)

Answer 6

Scoping must take place in the early stages of preparing an EIS. Scoping is often the first contact between proponents of a proposal and the public. A scoping meeting introduces both sides of an issue and engages interested parties. The purpose of scoping is to assist the preparers of the EIS in explaining the project to the public and affected agencies. The participants respond with their own concerns about significant issues and suggestions of alternatives. As the EIS is prepared, it will include, from the beginning, a reflection or at least an acknowledgement of the cooperating agencies and the public’s concerns.

Question 7

Environmental Impact Statement Sections

Answer 7

An EIS typically has four sections:

1) Introdution, which includes a statement of the Purpose and Need of the Proposed Action

2) Description of the Affected Environment

3) Range of Alternatives to the proposed action. alternatives are considered the “heart” of the EIS.

4) analysis of the environmental impacts of ach of the possible alternatives

Question 8

An EIS must address each of the following 5 topics

Answer 8

1) the probable impact of the proposed action
2) any adverse environmental effects that cannot be avoided
3) alternatives to the proposed action
4) relationship between local short-term uses of the environment and the maintenance and enhancement of long-term productivity of the land
5) any irreversible and ireetrievable commitments of resources that would be involved in the proposed action.