Geographic Theory and GIS Michael Kreutzer & Zach Hirsch
University of St. Thomas
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Food desert: low socioeconomic status limited access to healthy
and affordable food So what?
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Friction of Distance Study: 3 years of diet related deaths
People in food deserts are more likely to die prematurely from poor
diets Study: Introduction of large retailer to food desert The
significant shifting away from limited range/budget stores as the
main source of fruit and vegetable purchasing that we have observed
in the post-intervention period lends support to the view that in
the pre-intervention period these respondents were in fact
constrained by physical and economic access to this type of store.
http://ezpcfix.org
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GIS Analysis Reference USA Distance Calculation Density
Demographics
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John F. Kain, 1968 Housing Discrimination Movement of
entry-level jobs Early 1990s, 87% of the new jobs in the lower-
skilled service and retail trade sectors were created in the
suburbs These low-skilled jobs can serve as a first step in
breaking the cycle of poverty (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development 1997) The suburban flight of retailers has left urban
areas with small grocers and fast food restaurants as the main
sources of nutrition, especially in minority neighborhoods
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Social groupings Created by uneven distribution of power and
resources Spatial patterns are a direct result from these social
groupings
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Its not as important to recognize where these spatial groupings
occur, but rather how space itself creates a structure that shapes
society Where marginalized groups live is not simply a reflection
of a history of social exclusion. In addition, this positioning
actively reflects future employment and housing options so what was
a spatial reflection of economic and social marginality becomes a
spatial constraint on economic advance and social mobility Graphic
courtesy of Susan J Smith
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Agency: The capabilities of particular human beings to pursue
certain courses of action Structure: Social contexts and
constraints within which [human] actions [are] situated
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Farmers Markets?
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Cloke, Paul; Crang, Philip; Goodwin, Mark. (1999)
Structure-agency. Introducing Human Geographies. *Needs more
citation Smith, Susan J. (1999) Society-space. Introducing Human
Geographies. Larsen, Kristian; Gilliand, Jason. (2008 April)
Mapping the evolution of food deserts in a Canadian city:
Supermarket accessibility in London, Ontario, 1961-2005.
International Journal of Health Geographics. Wrigley, N., Warm, D.,
Margetts, B., & Whelan, A. (2002, October). Assessing the
Impact of Improved Retail Access on Diet in a 'Food Desert': A
Preliminary Report. Urban Studies Whelan, A., Wrigley, N., Warm,
D., & Cannings, E. (2002, October). Life in a 'Food Desert'.
Urban Studies Akiko S. Hosler, Deepa T. Rajulu, Adrienne E.
Ronsani, and Bonnie L. Fredrick. "Assessing Retail Fruit and
Vegetable Availability in Urban and Rural Underserved Communities."
Preventing Chronic Disease Vol 5 (2008). Elizabeth A. Baker, Mario
Schootman, Ellen Barnidge, and Cheryl Kelly. The Role of Race and
Poverty in Access to Foods That Enable Individuals to Adhere to
Dietary Guidelines. Preventing Chronic Disease Vol 3 (2006).
Miller, Lynne. "Study Finds Dearth of Mainstream Supermarkets in
Metro Detroit." Supermarket News 55.27(July 2, 2007) "Healthy foods
harder to find in poor neighborhoods; wealthier areas offer
residents more nutritious items in stores, studies find.(Report)."
Consumer Health News (English) (March 6, 2009) Ihlanfeldt, Keith R.
and Sjoquist, David L. (1998) The Spatial Mismatch Hypothesis: A
Review of Recent Studies and Their Implications for Welfare Reform.
Housing Policy Debate Volume 9, Issue 4 849. Fannie Mae Foundation.
Smelser, Neil J. ; Wilson, William J.; Mitchell, Faith. (2001)
America Becoming. National Research Council, Commission on
behavioral & social sciences. National Academic Press. Data
Sources: Reference USA online directory; ESRI Blockgroup Data.
