Healthy and affordable food is an essential human need, yet many communities in the U.S. face significant challenges in having reliable access. In a new JAFSCD article, “Food access in Kalamazoo, Michigan: A spatial analysis,” researchers at Kalamazoo College mapped differences in accessibility between low-income and higher-income census tracts to different types of food access points—reliable, seasonal, and lower quality—in the City of Kalamazoo.
Corresponding author Binney Girdler can be contacted at girdler@kzoo.edu. KEY FINDINGS: - The Good News: Grocery stores are accessible citywide via bus routes, ensuring that vital resources are within reach for most residents.
- Access Gap: More than one in 10 residents (11%) in low-income neighborhoods lack convenient access to grocery stores (having to walk more than a quarter mile to a bus stop).
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Seasonal Lifelines: Community gardens, food pantries, and farmers markets provide essential alternatives for an additional 9% of low-income residents without bus access.
- Convenience Store Conundrum: Lower-quality food options are more prevalent in lower-income areas, underscoring the need to work toward more equitable choices.
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Commuting Realities: Some lower-income residents face longer commutes, demonstrating the link between income, transportation, and food access.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLICY, PRACTICE, AND RESEARCH
The authors found that 7% of the population in the City of Kalamazoo has no easy access to healthy foods. They recommend that community leaders, working with city planners and residents, focus on improvements to food access infrastructure in these areas of the city. |
Native Michigan wildflowers plot at Rose Street Community Garden in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It’s one of the many community gardens featured in the study. Photo by E. Silber. |
