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

Young Professional

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 and Environmental 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 and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

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.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

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.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

A group of officials stand in a patch of dirt holding golden shovels and white hardhats.

California city breaks ground on transit connector

The project includes three mobility hubs and a pedestrian bridge.

November 2 - Mass Transit

People walking by a brick school in Cambridge.

After public outcry, Massachusetts city releases housing development tracker

Cambridge’s tracker currently shows 250 housing projects in various stages of development.

November 2 - Smart Cities Dive

A rendering of the park, with green grass and a bass sculpture that looks like several tall arches in a row.

40 years after approval, Chicago breaks ground on new park

The park honors Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the city’s first permanent non-native settler.

November 2 - Block Club Chicago