Crawford, Peggy L. August, 1980 - SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT PROCESS: AN EVALUATION OF SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES IN THE GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Abstract: This thesis explores social impact assessment (SIA) within the broader processes of environmental impact assessment (EIA) and transportation planning. A brief history of the development of transportation planning is put forth, and the technical models utilized in identifying the need for a project are discussed. The legal mandate and federal requirements for incorporating an EIA into the planning process are described with special attention given to the requirement for SIA. The EIA process itself is discussed and methodological approaches to it outlined. SIA is considered here as an integral aspect of the overall EIA process and its goals relative to that process are discussed. Three of the more salient impacts to the social environment and their effects are identified, and an analysis is given of several SIA methodologies specifically designed for use in the planning of highway facilities. An example of SIA procedures utilized in the EIA process by the Georgia Department of Transportation is given based upon the author's research at that agency. The research design and methodology employed in that research is put forth, and the current procedures for SIA in use by the agency are evaluated in terms of their effectiveness in predicting and assessing social impacts. It is concluded that the viability of SIA as a functional and meaningful component of the EIA process, and ultimately the decision making process, rests upon the ability of social science to develop methodologies which do not sacrifice scientific validity and reliability yet may be utilized within the constraints of the agency. The author suggests that this can only be accomplished through applied social science research, whereby the constraints of the agency are identified and the agency is informed of the theoretical constraints imposed by the field of SIA. .