The application of social impact assessment in urban planning and development – the Australian experience

According to the Urban Renewal Strategy (URS) released by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in November 2001, the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) should fully assess the social impact of its proposed projects in order to promote the objective of the people-centered urban renewal strategy. Social Impact Assessment (SIA) however has never been carried out in Hong Kong before. Exactly how SIA can enhance the social consideration of urban renewal in Hong Kong is still need to be verified. In many countries, SIA is successfully applied in either development project or policy change. In particular SIA, as an integral part of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), has been adopted in Australia for many years in assessing urban development projects. This paper attempts to review the experience of social impact assessment application in Australia and examine how Hong Kong can learn from their experience. It starts with a description of the historical background of the development of SIA in Australia in the context of various environmental legislations at both Commonwealth and State level. It is followed by a discussion of the legal status and requirement of SIA. Various aspects of SIA are examined including the coverage of EIA/SIA systems, consideration of alternatives, screening of actions and scoping of impacts. Finally, two case studies of SIA application in Australia including a housing development project and a regional planning strategy are examined. The paper ends up with a general discussion of how Hong Kong can learn from the Australian experience in adopting SIA as a planning tool in incorporating social consideration in urban renewal projects. *This paper is an outcome of a research project funded by the Hong Kong Research Grant Council. (Project code: B-Q914