Community Health and Environmental Policy Projects

  • Art From Your Heart

    Art From Your Heart called on high school artists and photographers from across America to tell the story of how COVID-19 affected their community of color for a nationwide art project.

  • Environmental Racism: Mapping the Legacy of Historic Redlining on Urban Environments

    Past housing policies have an enduring legacy on urban neighborhoods today and have contributed to which communities enjoy more trees, less traffic, and better air quality, and which face hazards such as pollution, toxic waste sites, and flooding risk.

  • Focus on Wellbeing

    The issue of civic wellbeing has become an important topic. RAND research explores the impact of wellbeing on quality of life across several dimensions.

  • How Does Neighborhood Environment Impact Health Outcomes?

    The PHRESH project examines how neighborhood characteristics—like access to fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats—could make residents more or less healthy.

  • How Food Insecurity Affects People Living with HIV in Latin America and the Carribean

    RAND researchers developed a decade-long partnership with the World Food Programme and local partners to develop and evaluate pilot projects that address food insecurity and nutritional needs of people with HIV in Latin America and the Caribbean.

  • Improving Decisionmaking in a Complex and Changing World

    Climate change presents decisionmakers with a fundamental quandary: how to address a potentially serious, long-term, and uncertain threat. By waiting until new science and unfolding events eliminate much of the uncertainty, it may be too late for decisionmakers to act effectively.

  • Louisiana Legislature Approves $50 Billion Coastal Master Plan

    The Louisiana 2017 Coastal Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast refined the 2012 plan by taking into account updated estimates of future conditions and presenting an updated set of projects. RAND was a key partner in helping the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority develop its 2012 and 2017 plans.

  • Los Angeles Food Recovery Study

    Under a new state law, California must significantly reduce organic waste and recover some edible food from going to landfill by 2025. Is Los Angeles County prepared for the new mandate?

  • OnePGH: Supporting Development of Pittsburgh's Resilience Strategy

    RAND partnered with the city of Pittsburgh to develop the city's first city-wide Resilience Strategy. Known as OnePGH, it's a comprehensive plan to address the current and future challenges that confront the city and its residents.

  • RAND Convenience Store Project

    The RAND Convenience Store Project is conducting a series of research studies to learn about what people purchase at convenience stores.

  • Resilient Stormwater Management in Allegheny County

    The Pittsburgh Metropolitan Region faces major challenges in managing its water resources, and lacks key information about climate change and future vulnerability. A framework is needed to evaluate options and identify cost-effective solutions.

  • Robust Decisionmaking May Help EPA's National Water Plan Manage Climate and Other Uncertainties

    Maintaining safe and reliable water supplies depends on timely investments in water treatment, storage, and delivery infrastructure. RAND undertook a project for the EPA to determine the utility of Robust Decision Making (RDM) methods for evaluating the agency's needs and priorities.

  • SOPARC Online App Enables Easier Recording of Park Use

    SOPARC is a validated, direct observation tool for assessing physical activity and associated people and environmental characteristics in park and recreation settings. RAND developed an online tool for recording park activities.

  • Valuing the Resilience Benefits of Green Infrastructure in Pittsburgh

    Urban stormwater management is a growing challenge in many cities, and green stormwater infrastructure can improve water quality and reduce flooding, while also providing new green space. This project assesses the benefits and costs of green infrastructure for two key watersheds in the Pittsburgh area.