Place-based Social Impact Assessments
Innovation voucher with Atlantic58
Researchers: Sarah Wagner, CLS (linked), Euan Bowditch, IBFC (linked), Frances Simmons, Social Scientist at Atlantic58, Lalith Welamedage
Existing Social Impact Assessment (SIA) frameworks deprioritise the distinctive challenges faced by highly rural communities including limited connectivity and heightened dependencies on local social cohesion. To address this issue, Atlantic58 – an environmental consultancy based in Stornoway – teamed up with social scientists at UHI to pilot the development of place-specific criteria for Social Impact Assessments in island and highly rural coastal regions.
With funding from an Innovation Voucher, the research team completed a scoping review of existing research on social impact assessments in highly rural coastal regions and developed a draft matrix of sensitivity and magnitude criteria. The draft framework is informing social impact assessment practice at Atlantic58.
The initial phase of this work has evidenced the critical need for place-based social impact methodologies that can meaningfully account for impacts on relational social values, including place attachment and intergenerational obligations.
