450,000 People Live in Food Deserts in the Cleveland Area

A new map reveals the scale of the food desert challenge in Cleveland and environs.

1 minute read

October 6, 2017, 10:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Ginger Christ reports that as many as 450,000 people in Cuyahoga County, Ohio live in a food desert, lacking convenient access to healthy food and suffering from higher risks of chronic disease.

The recently released Cuyahoga County Supermarket Assessment mapped the county's food deserts to illustrate the scale of the problem, including neighborhoods in the city of Cleveland and its suburbs, and overlays the food desert map with demographic data. According to Christ, the project identifies "about 20 spots in the county, in areas such as Glenville and Bedford Heights, where access to healthy food is the most difficult."

While the article is able to report the recent opening of a supermarket in Euclid, details about the efforts of the Cuyahoga County Board of Health's Creating Healthy Communities program are lacking in the article. The county's program is made possible by funding from the Ohio Department of Health, and more information is available online and in the video found below.

Thursday, October 5, 2017 in The Plain Dealer

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 11, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Metrorail train pulling into newly opened subterranean station in Washington, D.C. with crowd on platform taking photos.

Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename DC Metro “Trump Train”

The Make Autorail Great Again Act would withhold federal funding to the system until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), rebrands as the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA).

June 2, 2025 - The Hill

Large crowd on street in San Francisco, California during Oktoberfest festival.

The Simple Legislative Tool Transforming Vacant Downtowns

In California, Michigan and Georgia, an easy win is bringing dollars — and delight — back to city centers.

June 2, 2025 - Robbie Silver

Color-coded map of labor & delivery departments and losses in United States.

The States Losing Rural Delivery Rooms at an Alarming Pace

In some states, as few as 9% of rural hospitals still deliver babies. As a result, rising pre-term births, no adequate pre-term care and "harrowing" close calls are a growing reality.

June 15 - Maine Morning Star

Street scene in Kathmandu, Nepal with yellow minibuses and other traffic.

The Small South Asian Republic Going all in on EVs

Thanks to one simple policy change less than five years ago, 65% of new cars in this Himalayan country are now electric.

June 15 - Fast Company

Bike lane in Washington D.C. protected by low concrete barriers.

DC Backpedals on Bike Lane Protection, Swaps Barriers for Paint

Citing aesthetic concerns, the city is removing the concrete barriers and flexposts that once separated Arizona Avenue cyclists from motor vehicles.

June 15 - The Washington Post