Assessment Methods - Evaluating Sustainable Development in the Built Environment - page 97

The reader can find a short explanation of additional methods,
procedures and tools, among those included in Table 5.1, at http://
research.scpm.salford.ac.uk/bqtoolkit/index2.htm, http://www.luda-
europe.net/hb5/select.php; http://www.sue-mot.org.uk/ and http://
ivm5.ivm.vu.nl/sat/, http://crisp.cstb.fr/db_ListIS.asp, http://www.
aggregain.org.uk/sustainability/sustainability_tools_and_appro
aches/index.html, and http://www.smartcommunities.ncat.org/lan
duse/tools.shtml.

EIA - environmental impact analysis
EIA is a comprehensive procedure which involves different dimen-
sions of a planning problem such as social, administrative and physi-
cal. It has been developed and is used as a means to identify potential
damaging effects of proposed developments.
This procedure was born in the USA in 1969 under the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for land use planning. Later, the
EEC introduced a common directive to all Member States (85/337/
CEE), amended in 2003 (Directive 2003/35/EC), which imposed the
application of this EIA to all those projects having strong impacts on
environmental resources.
More recently, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
has recommended the extension of EIA principles to policies, plans
and programmes (see SEA, below).
More specifically, EIA is the process of assessing the physical and
social impacts of projects. The main aim is to ensure that the envi-
ronmental implications of decisions are taken into account before
the decisions are made. The main purpose is to inform decision-
makers and stakeholders about the environmental impacts of a pro-
posal before a decision is made. The process involves an analysis of
the likely effects on the environment, recording those effects in a
report, undertaking a public consultation exercise on the report, tak-
ing into account the comments and the report when making the final
decision and informing the public about that decision afterwards.
IAIA/IEA (1999) describes the following steps as being part of an
EIA process:

Screening is the process of determining whether an EIA is required
for a specific project.

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Scoping is identifying the impacts that are likely to be important.

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Examination of alternatives is the process of determining the envi-
ronmentally most desired policy option.

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Impact analysis is the process of identifying and predicting the
effects of the proposal.

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Mitigation and impact management is the process of establishing
measures (or mechanisms) to minimise negative effects.

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