Food desert-busting is one of the cross-over opportunities between planning and public health, but it's unclear how effective bringing healthy foods to underserved neighborhoods has been.
Mac McCann writes an op-ed in response to a story from earlier in July about a $3 million program designed to attract grocery stores to Southern Dallas.
The problem, according to McCann's argument, is a lack of evidence that the program will work. "The government has tried over and over again to address the problems of food deserts — without much to show for it," explains McCann. In fact ""Food store access, particularly as measured by proximity, has a limited impact on food choices," according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture study published in May 2016.
On another line of argument, McCann notes that the city of Dallas "approved a $3 million grant for Costco — which made $2.38 billion in profit in 2015 — to build a store in northern Dallas." To McCann, the results of these investments don't justify their expense—especially when the city has so many other pressing issues to address.
Read the full story: Subsidizing grocery stores won't make Dallas healthier
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?
One Weird Trick for Eliminating Food Deserts
How enforcing one federal law, ignored since the 1980s, could bring back small grocers and ensure more people have convenient access to fresh foods.
Even in ‘Food Deserts,’ Independent Grocers Struggle to Survive
Government support has helped open stores in underserved communities, but cost and scale make it difficult for small businesses to survive long-term.
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.
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.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
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