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Redefining the food desert: combining GIS with direct observation to measure food access

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  • Mark LeClair
  • Anna-Maria Aksan

Abstract

As public and private resources are increasingly being directed towards the elimination of food deserts in urban areas, proper measurement of food access is essential. Amelioration has been approached through the use of farmers markets, virtual grocery stores, and corner store programs, but properly situating these assets in neighborhoods in need requires localized data on both the location and content of food outlets and the populations served. This paper examines the reliability of current techniques for identifying food deserts, and identifies some of the flaws in those approaches. Information derived from geographic information systems (GIS) mapping is the predominant means of determining food availability. In this study, food access in Bridgeport, CT, is examined utilizing both computer-based GIS mapping and on-the-ground observations. While the GIS output indicates generalized food accessibility issues, supplementation by survey data reduces the geographic extent of the food desert problem. Still, nearly 60,000 people (40 % of the population) reside in neighborhoods served only by small retailers who provide few healthy food options, and those at inflated prices. The high opportunity cost of travelling by bus to a major grocery store may outweigh the direct cost savings, and residents choose to consume locally available but unhealthy foods. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Mark LeClair & Anna-Maria Aksan, 2014. "Redefining the food desert: combining GIS with direct observation to measure food access," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 31(4), pages 537-547, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:31:y:2014:i:4:p:537-547
    DOI: 10.1007/s10460-014-9501-y
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    5. Amanda Whelan & Neil Wrigley & Daniel Warm & Elizabeth Cannings, 2002. "Life in a 'Food Desert'," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 39(11), pages 2083-2100, October.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Caitlin E. Caspi & Jennifer E. Pelletier & Lisa J. Harnack & Darin J. Erickson & Kathleen Lenk & Melissa N. Laska, 2017. "Pricing of Staple Foods at Supermarkets versus Small Food Stores," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-12, August.
    3. Jeon-Young Kang & Seunghwan Lee, 2022. "Exploring Food Deserts in Seoul, South Korea during the COVID-19 Pandemic (from 2019 to 2021)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-8, April.
    4. Kathryn Teigen De Master & Jess Daniels, 2019. "Desert wonderings: reimagining food access mapping," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 36(2), pages 241-256, June.
    5. Steele, Marie E. & Weatherspoon, Dave D., 2017. "A Theoretical Approach to Supermarket Chain Investment in Urban Food Deserts," 2017 Annual Meeting, July 30-August 1, Chicago, Illinois 258202, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    6. Jiaojiao Li & Guobao Song & Henry Musoke Semakula & Yijie Dou & Shushen Zhang, 2019. "Food access inequalities in Chinese urban neighborhoods: a case study of the Dalian development zone," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 11(5), pages 1087-1099, October.
    7. Hui Jeong Ha & Jinhyung Lee & Junghwan Kim & Youngjoon Kim, 2022. "Uncovering Inequalities in Food Accessibility between Koreans and Japanese in 1930s Colonial Seoul Using GIS and Open-Source Transport Analytics Tools," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-25, September.
    8. Leng, Ganxiao & Filipski, Mateusz J. & Qiu, Huanguang, 2022. "Impacts of City Life on Nutrition: Evidence from Resettlement Lotteries in China," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322130, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    9. Michelle Sarah Livings & John Wilson & Sydney Miller & Wändi Bruine de Bruin & Kate Weber & Marianna Babboni & Mengya Xu & Kenan Li & Kayla de la Haye, 2023. "Spatial characteristics of food insecurity and food access in Los Angeles County during the COVID-19 pandemic," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(5), pages 1255-1271, October.

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