External link: http://docs.trb.org/prp/16-1842.pdf

Publication date: January 1, 2016

Capsule summary: This research investigates accessibility to supermarkets in order to evaluate food opportunities for users of different modes of transportation.

Author(s): Widener, Michael PhD

Publisher(s): Transportation Research Board

Definition: Examining the public health impacts of transportation
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Definition: Planning practices for pedestrians, bikes and transit
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Definitions: Passenger transportation services
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Definitions: The movement of people
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Definitions: Transportation by automobile
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Definition: A federally funded transportation policy-making organization, comprised of local government representatives and transportation authorities
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Definition: A large urban area
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Description: The concept of a “food desert,” in which healthy food options are relatively inaccessible to residents, was updated by this study. Typically, boundaries of food deserts are commonly determined by the accessibility of the closest supermarket. However, this study proposes observation of the cumulative number of food opportunities within a region defined by a travel cost threshold. The research observed the communities within Hamilton County, Ohio.

Objectives: The objective of this research was to evaluate access to healthy food within a given region, for both automobile and transit users. The study used census tract level data and data acquired from the Orbis business directory, a Tele Atlas streets file, and the USDA food mapper. The study modeled access to healthy food by analyzing closest facility accessibility and cumulative opportunity accessibility for automobile and transit users within Hamilton County.

Findings: It is important for researchers to consider the differences and applications of closest facility and cumulative opportunity accessibility measures in the future, and the different implications for automobile and transit users. In observation of closest facilities, the research revealed that although automobile and transit users faced relatively similar travel costs, transit users experienced higher time costs when accessing food. This was true of cumulative opportunity analysis as well, as the majority of routes for automobile users provide access to 11 supermarkets within 15 minutes, while the majority of routes for transit users do not provide access to any supermarkets within 15 minutes. Access was better near city centers than near the spatial periphery, especially for transit users, who benefited from supermarket locations along transit corridors.

Recommendations: Researchers and policy makers should apply appropriate measures to the characteristics of their community. This paper presents a new lens through which to view discrepancies in food availability throughout a community, and can improve understanding of the complexities of accessibility by developing a means for investigating spatial access.

Research Theme: Planning for Pedestrians, Bikes, and Transit, Public Health

Community Type: City, Small City

Transportation Mode: Automobile, Personal, Transit

Planning Scope:

Organization Type: City, MPO or RPO

Planning Subject: Analysis, Evaluation and Assessment