IN-PERSON London. Section A

Abstract

Maps of food access–most commonly those that identify “food deserts”–have become a ubiquitous part of public conversations around equitable urban planning. Yet these maps have clear limitations. On a theoretical level, they highlight and further stigmatize marginalized communities while neglecting systemic dynamics that shape grocery locational decisions. On an empirical level, healthy store initiatives that use these maps as a guide have not proven to improve dietary health, nor have stores proven to be viable solutions economically. This paper presents alternative frameworks for mapping food access that avoid the pitfalls of food desert maps. Focusing on retailer redlining as an alternative framework, I show how a focus on commercial chains provides a more holistic view of retail investment and the communities it leaves behind, both for supermarkets and smaller retail models such as dollar stores in the United States. Specifically, I focus on the locational decisions of major supermarkets in the Atlanta, Georgia metro area within the U.S. as well as those of “small box” retailers, most notably dollar stores. Each demonstrate the effects of market segmentation on available food choices for local residents. I also point to the need to study more informal food sites such as charitable food agencies and the need to understand the role these play in supporting food security. Drawing on a first of its kind statewide study of food pantries in Georgia, I identify where these sites are most and least common, combining geospatial data with qualitative responses from pantry staff and volunteers to understand these spatial patterns. Together, these examples demonstrate how food system maps might suggest alternative ways to organize more equitable urban communities.