Quantifying
the extent and cost of food deserts in Lawrence, Kansas, USA
In
an article by Lucius F. Hallett IV and Dave McDermott, ‘food deserts’ in the
small town of Lawrence, Kansas, are examined and calculated with the use of
geographic information systems (GIS) and an array of surveys. The term ‘food
desert’ was first used in the early 1990’s to refer to areas where there is no
access to adequate, nutritional food sources. In order to compose their map,
important factors such as the location of grocery stores, distribution of
population, cost of access to food, and information regarding shopping
preference had to be quantified.
When
determining the location of grocery stores, Hallett and McDermott decided that
they would only include full-service stores, or stores with a size of, or
greater than, 30,000 square feet. The sizes of the stores were measured by using
air photos from the National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP). In addition
to the location of the stores, 4,000 surveys were sent out to the four zip
codes within the city of Lawrence. These surveys asked shoppers questions
regarding forms of transportation taken to the grocery store and, also, travel
time and distance. Due to the fact that travel is required to obtain food, a
cost surface analysis of total expenditure is created. Hallett and McDermott
measured the total cost of travel, the total cost of food, and then compared
the two figures to determine which of the survey participants spent the most
amount of their time and money to obtain food and in what area of Lawrence they
were located.
The location of the full-service grocery stores can be seen in the map above. There are areas in Lawrence where it appears that the stores are either evenly distributed (Northwest corner), closely grouped (Southeast corner), or almost non-existent (Southwest corner).
Using
GIS to assign values to the routes that can be taken to grocery stores and
calculating the cost of transportation along those routes, Hallett and McDermott
concluded that no resident in Lawrence that owned a car lived in an underserved
area. In contrast, residents without cars that live in older neighborhoods were
found to be underserved when their food costs were compared to their food cost,
travel time, and distance required to travel in order to get food. In short, those who owned cars were not affected by the food desert phenomenon, while those without cars were affected.
After assigning colors to the different levels of poverty in Lawrence, Kansas, it becomes clear that these supermarket chain stores are more likely to be found in the under-served areas of the city. Conversely, the inner city contains almost no supermarkets. This seems to portray a possible food desert, but due to the lack of poverty in the inner city, shoppers in this area are more likely to shop at smaller, high end stores, which are not represented on this map.
The overall cost of food is ultimately considered to be spatial. In areas where the population is
primarily under-served, big name, chain grocery stores are likely to be found
due to their lower cost of food. Conversely, higher priced stores are likely to
be found in more affluent neighborhoods due to the preferences of shoppers. Hallett
and McDermott conclude that an inherent value can be placed on food, based on
perceptions, ideas and lifestyle. The
process of obtaining food is relative to each of the different people walking
or driving to the store and even by quantifying the time that is spent,
distance that is traveled, and the cost of obtaining food, the lines of what is
technically considered a food desert in Lawrence, Kansas, are still blurred and
open to interpretation.
Hallett, L., & McDermott, D. (2011). Quantifying the extent and cost of food deserts in Lawrence, Kansas, USA. Applied Geography, 31, 1210-1215.
The issue was presented well. I worked on an article that dealt with the same concept of communal resources and how accessible they are, so I thought your post was interesting.
ReplyDeleteLawrence, Kansas has a population of only about 90,000. Cities this size usually don't have a very developed system of public transportation. A more developed public transportation system would shrink the food desert, especially for the poor who don't have cars.
ReplyDeleteThe poor and underprivileged are definetely the most at risk to be affected by food deserts. Most grocery stores, like any store, wants to set up where they believe they will make the most profit and has the most spending power. Therefore, these stores seek out wealthier areas of town and actually avoid poorer areas adding to the issue of food deserts.
ReplyDeleteIt is a shame that the low-income areas of town are put in a doubly difficult situation when the stores are further away and of less options. Perhaps this would be a good article for a non-profit organization or charity to refer to who wanted to do something such as build a transportation system as Rebecca mentioned, or figure out a way to adjust store placement (however difficult this might be).
ReplyDeleteUndoubtedly, and in general, the ones without car are the poorest and have difficulties getting to the grocery. Inevitably, it all comes down to transportation. Nevertheless, we are talking about a city in this article. What would the food desert be like for a remote village in the US? Because I know that in Switzerland if you live in a village, you better own a car or be patient with public transportation if you want to get to a full-service grocery store. So I can barely imagine what it is like for Texas, a state that is 23 times bigger than Switzerland...
ReplyDeleteIt's great to see GIS applied to environmental issues like this. Studies like this show just how useful it can be. Sociologists and statisticians should utilize it more often.
ReplyDelete