The place of social impacts in the iterative assessment process: a case study of a highway project in the US State of Georgia

Abstract

Social impact assessments (SIAs) were conducted in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process along the US 441 corridor in Clinch and Atkinson Counties, Georgia. The SIA approach consisted of both quantitative and participatory (public involvement) components. Successes in using this approach included: aligning the roadway with access and optimal benefits for the adjacent communities; support for the project despite the change it will bring to the region; improved relationships with the community, which previously had little trust in government; and, most important of all, education of the design engineers about community impacts.

Keywords:

• social impact assessment
• socio-economic impacts
• community
• impacts
• low-income
• minority
• public involvement
• context-sensitive design
• environmental justice