Nathanael Johnson reports on what makes healthy grocery stores succeed in food deserts.

While a lot of media attention has been poured over the new Whole Foods store in Midtown district of Detroit, Nathanael Johnson focuses on the success of Metro Foodland, a grocery store that “opened in the midst of Detroit’s depopulation and found a way to thrive while offering healthy foods” for the past 30 years. Contrary to popular notions, “It’s not that grocery executives turn up their noses at poorer neighborhoods; they just couldn’t figure out how to make money there.”
Referring to the success of Metro Foodland, Johnson notes that the key to succeeding as a grocery store in food desert areas is to provide what the customers are used to buying instead of “assuming that people will change their food habits as soon as they have access to brown rice...Even Whole Foods altered its product mix in Detroit, offering fewer organic items and instead emphasizing local foods.”
Success also requires incentivizing health: “Metro Foodland, for example, offers a lot of information about health. It has partnered with a chef to provide classes and healthy shopping lists. It has a small community room full of events. And the store has a rewards card that gives members money back on healthy foods, creating a subtle push toward those items.”
Traditional grocery stores depend on customers who buy weeks' worth of groceries and hauling them home in their cars. “In cities, especially in lower-income neighborhoods, however, people don’t buy as much per trip...But here’s the thing: Those people are going to the store much more frequently and spending almost as much as their more affluent neighbors.”
You also need to think small, but sell a lot: “...fewer items in a smaller space, and an intense engagement with customers to make sure those are the products that will sell.”
FULL STORY: Making food deserts bloom takes more than just a baptism of kale

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

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

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

Washington State’s Parking Reform Law Could Unlock ‘Countless’ Acres for New Housing
A law that limits how much parking cities can require for residential amd commercial developments could lead to a construction boom.

Wildlife Rebounds After the Eaton Fire
Following the devastation of the Eaton Fire, the return of wildlife and the regrowth of native plants are offering powerful signs of resilience and renewal.

LA to Replace Inglewood Light Rail Project With Bus Shuttles
LA Metro says the change is in response to community engagement and that the new design will be ready before the 2028 Olympic Games.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions