Compare that number to the 588 fast food locations.....
The maps below depict the areas of Franklin County with the greatest food imbalance. Imbalance is measured by the relationship of two factors: the closeness of fast food restaurants in conjunction with the distance from a grocery store. The imbalance scores were calculated by creating a fraction of the distance of miles away from the grocery store divided by the distance in miles from the nearest fast food restaurant. The Columbus area's average was 2.48, meaning on average in Columbus it takes over twice as long to get to a grocery store than tof a fast food chain. Only the areas with a wider discrepancy than that are marked as food 'imbalanced' areas. This map also illustrates the correlation between lack of food access and low income areas in Columbus.
There is a list of 42 areas in Franklin County that are classified as food deserts. One of the largest areas is South Linden, as well as the surrounding neighborhoods of Argyle, Brittany Hill, Shepard, Teakwood, Gateway and so forth.
A USDA study in 2008 found that not only are these food desert areas characterized by low-income and lack of available transportation, but also racial segregation. This holds true for Columbus as well, the neighborhoods of higher food imbalance are populated by mainly minority groups - largely Blacks as well as Hispanics and other immigrants.
More maps and statistics about food access nationwide can be found at the Food Desert Locator. It's not just a problem in Columbus, about 10% of Americans live in food deserts across our country - 2.3 million people, 6.5 million whom of are children.
| Ohio . Columbus Public Health Department. Mapping Food Access. By Richard Hicks. Columbus Public Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Nov. 2011. United States. Department of Agriculture. Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food. Economic Research Service. USDA, June 2009. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. <http://www.ers.usda.gov>. "Map as an Indicator." Your Food Environment Atlas. USDA, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://maps.ers.usda.gov>. |
Problems Beyond the Distance: Crime and lack of Transportation
Many people question the recognition of food deserts, proposing that if the residents of these areas really wanted healthful food, they would travel the extra miles to the nearest grocery store to buy produce. Firstly, many residence of these areas also have limited access to transportation. The questioning persists: why don't they just walk to the grocery store and bring their groceries back? It would give them more exercise which in addition to the healthful produce would help these residents decrease any health effects from their diet through exercise. It sounds like a great idea.
But the streets of 'food deserts' in Columbus, the streets of areas like South Linden for instance are not as safe as the streets of more affluent areas such as Upper Arlington. Walking home with the groceries on the streets of South Linden, where over 1,000 assaults occur each year, does not sound like such a great idea anymore.
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| Crime Rates in South Linden - August 30/11 - November 30/11 |
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| Crime Rates in Upper Arlington - Aug 30/11 - Nov 30/11 |
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| Comparative Assault Rates in Franklin County |
"South Linden Crime Map." Map. Spot Crime. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2011.
<http://www.spotcrime.com/>.
"Upper Arlington Crime Map." Map. Spot Crime. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2011.
<http://www.spotcrime.com>.
"Crime & Safety in South Linden." Map. Trulia . N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2011.
<http://www.trulia.com>.
City of Columbus. Department of Development. South Linden Neighborhood Plan.
Columbus: n.p., 2003. Columbus Department of Development. Web. 30 Nov.
2011. <http://development.columbus.gov>.
