A major grocer in Ohio is trying to keep some of its smaller stores open in areas that would otherwise be food deserts. But profits are hard to come by, and stores continue to move out of town.
"Kroger's decision to close an unprofitable and aged store in Roselawn last month has spotlighted again a years-long debate over the role grocers and municipalities should play in providing residents with healthy food.
This time though, the issue is on stronger footing. Troubled by rising obesity rates, a local Food Access Task Force is working to identify communities with limited access to fresh and healthy food, areas it calls "food deserts." State and federal organizations have pinpointed examples of these deserts all over the country. President Barack Obama has made supermarket expansion and access to food key priorities in his 2011 budget."
A recent analysis by The Cincinnati Enquirer shows that grocery stores in the metropolitan area have steadily moved out of city neighborhoods and into outlying areas.
Read the full story: Grocer trends create 'deserts'
Combatting the Food Desert of Detroit
Grist's food editor visits Detroit, where the lack of grocery stores has inspired a number of innovative, locally-grown food projects.
Building Neighborhoods Through Grocery Stores
To survive, neighborhoods need to be commercially viable. A group called the Food Trust believes grocery stores are a good starting point for creating that economic climate.
Making economic sense of city-owned grocery stores
Several cities are moving to create municipal stores, but do they actually save low-income households money?
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority