Sustainable Communities Index

The Healthy Development Measurement Tool (HDMT) is now the Sustainable Communities Index (SCI)!

We will be making some edits to the HDMT indicator pages and content may be down. A notification will be posted when the edits are finished.

The registration period for the May 7th HDMT Training is now over. We hold HDMT trainings at least yearly, so please check back for future training announcements!

SFDPH is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the fifth annual summer training course for health impact assessment (HIA) practitioners. The overall goal of the course is to provide current and future practitioners of HIA experience using available procedures, regulations and tools to implement an HIA. Registration is open through June 29, 2012, however spots are limited so early registration is encouraged. Visit the SFDPH HIA training page for more details and the registration form.

SFDPH is excited to announce an upcoming training for the Healthy Development Measurement Tool (HMDT) on May 7th, 2012 in San Francisco, CA.  The training will provide an introduction to the HDMT and its website, demonstrate how HDMT indicators and data can be used, illustrate how HDMT development targets can be applied to land use projects, and help you consider the ways that the HDMT framework and content is relevant to your work. An informational flyer can be downloaded here.  To register for this training please fill out the online registration form at http://bit.ly/HDMT2012. For more information contact Meg Wall at [email protected].

Lisa Chen, MCP/MPH, Planning & Policy Associate at Public Health Law & Policy will present "Developing a method to estimate the cumulative impacts of traffic air pollution on childhood asthma: a meta-analysis" at the next peer review session on Tuesday, June 7, 2011 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 noon at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, 1390 Market Street, Suite 910.   Please contact for more information on the Healthy Planning Research and Tools Peer Review Sessions or to be added to the email list.

In preparation for rolling out a new version of the Pedestrian Environmental Quality Index (PEQI), SFDPH will be having a workshop on how to use a “walkability” auditing tool designed to measure how the environment can support or prevent comfortable walking. This workshop will provide practical information to participants on how to collect data regarding the quality and safety of the streets and sidewalks and will also serve as formal assessment of reliability for the department. If you are interested in attending a free, 9 a.m. - 2: 30 p.m. workshop on Saturday, May 21 or Wednesday, May 25, you can register at gopeds.eventbrite.com.

SFDPH is excited to announce that enrollment is now open for our fourth annual summer training course for health impact assessment (HIA) practitioners. The overall goal of the course is to provide current and future practitioners of HIA experience using available procedures, regulations, and tools to implement an HIA. Registration will be open until Friday, July 1. Visit the SFDPH HIA Training Page for details including the registration form, course objectives, location, travel/hotel info, and past year's outline and evaluations.

SFDPH is excited to announce an upcoming training for the Healthy Development Measurement Tool on April 29, 2011 in San Francisco, CA.  The training will provide an introduction to the HDMT and its website, demonstrate how HDMT indicators and data can be used, illustrate how HDMT development targets can be applied to land use projects, and help consider the ways that the HDMT framework and content is relevant to your work. An informational flyer and registration form can be downloaded here. For more information contact Megan Wall at .

SFDPH has released draft baseline condition reports for three HOPE SF site: Potrero Terrace & Annex, Sunnydale, and Westside Courts. In the coming months, SFDPH plans to continue communication with Mayor’s Office of Housing staff and the project development teams to identify opportunities to collaborate and promote consideration of health within the HOPE SF development process. Read more about HOPE SF and the draft baseline condition reports.

The HDMT indicators are currently being edited from

October 18, 2010 – November 1, 2010. Thank you for your patience.

SFDPH is excited to announce that enrollment is now open for our annual Health Impact Assessment (HIA) Practitioners Summer Training Course. The overall goal of the course is to provide current and future practitioners of HIA experience using available procedures, regulations, and tools to implement an HIA. This year’s course will be held from June 22-25, 2010 near Civic Center in San Francisco.

Following the impact of Hurricane Ike last year, which damaged or destroyed 70% of Galveston, Texas' residential and commercial buildings, the island is adapting the HDMT to a post-disaster recovery scenario. The Center to Eliminate Health Disparities at the University of Texas Medical Branch is working with the local city and county governments, community-based service providers and non-profit agencies to ensure that current rebuilding efforts as well as new ordinances incorporate an assessment on the likely impact on health. To learn more, contact .  

The Denver Housing Authority has sponsored a project to customize the Healthy Development Measurement Tool for use in Denver, CO. The customized Denver HDMT has been adapted to reflect conditions, data, and initiatives specific to Denver, as well as coordination with metrics such as LEED-ND and SSI (Sustainable Sites Initiative). The Denver HDMT will then be applied to the South Lincoln Homes Redevelopment project, currently in planning stages. This 15 acre site in the historic La Alma/ Lincoln Park neighborhood will be redeveloped into a mixed-income, mixed-use Transit Oriented Development (TOD), and represents a rather unique opportunity for leveraging public and private investment. To learn more, contact .

We recently completed an extensive update to HDMT website content, including to the majority of indicators and data, development targets and checklist, and neighborhood profiles. Thank you for your patience as we completed this update. Please feel free to contact us with any questions.

SFDPH is excited to announce an upcoming training for the Healthy Development Measurement Tool on October 29, 2009 in San Francisco, CA. The training will provide an introduction to the HDMT and website, demonstrate how HDMT indicators and data can be used, illustrate how HDMT development targets can be applied to land use projects, and help consider the ways that the HDMT framework and content is relevant to your work.

Click here to download a training flyer and here to download the registration form.

Please note that between September 1 – October 9 (note 1 week extension), the HDMT will be undergoing a major revision to much of its content, including to indicators and data, development targets and checklist, and neighborhood profiles.

*HDMT content will be changing daily.* For those of you interested in using the HDMT during this period, we recommend contacting us to assess how content may change and how that may affect your work.