On Tuesday Nov. 10, 2009 at 6:00 p.m., the Philadelphia Committee on City Policy will host a panel discussion on the topic of “food access and community development.” The event, to be held at the Center for Architecture, across from the Pennsylvania Convention Center, will feature some leading figures in Philadelphia’s nationally celebrated initiatives to address issues of fresh food access in urban areas.
Food access is one of the most important public health issues facing inner city communities today. When neighborhoods lack access to fresh, healthy foods, they are more likely to suffer from diet-related diseases and childhood obesity. For many residents the choice is to travel long distances to places that may not be accessible by public transit, or shop locally at corner stores that often carry mainly processed, pre-packaged foods.
Food access and nutrition issues heavily overlap with other policy areas like community development and economic investment. In some urban neighborhoods, residents do not feel safe going outdoors, limiting their access to healthy food and fitness opportunities. If an inner-city community is successful in attracting a supermarket, that community may be faced with the issue that supermarket operators often desire “big-box” stores with large parking lots. This type of retail design might adversely affect the character of an urban main street.
There are other critical issues relating to the overlap between food access and community development. Which types of fresh food outlets are appropriate for urban areas? How can stores be designed to contribute to local vitality and create employment opportunities? Will these stores adequately cater to local cultural foods? In what way can community groups and business associations take a leadership role in attracting fresh food retail? How can perceived and real cost barriers for locating supermarkets in low-income neighborhoods be overcome?
Philadelphia is a fascinating case study because the city has recently been recognized as a national leader for efforts to bridge the food access divide. At the same time, it is one of the only cities critically looking at the overlap between the public health and community development sides of the food access equation.
Rated in the nation’s top-ten cities for “Local Food and Agriculture” by SustainLane, Philadelphia is home to numerous urban farms, food co-ops, community gardens, farmers markets, and an agricultural high school. The City recently released its GreenWorks Philadelphia plan, setting a course to make Philadelphia the “greenest city in America.”
When Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced an increase to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, he made the announcement at Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market. When President Obama and his secretaries for Agriculture and Commerce kicked off the “National Conversation on the Future of Urban and Metropolitan America,” they did so in a new grocery store in West Philadelphia, starting with a conversation on community food access.
Garnering much buzz is the Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative, a state program that provides funding support to bring supermarkets to under-served communities. This effort, administered by the Food Trust, in partnership with the Reinvestment Fund and the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition, was recently awarded the Pioneering Innovation Award by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The program was also recently featured in The New York Times.
There are other organizations looking at linking these food-related initiatives to community development goals. The Philadelphia Urban Food and Fitness Alliance, funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and administered through the Health Promotion Council of Southeastern Pennsylvania, formed a grassroots coalition, bringing together residents and experts to create a Community Action Plan to increase access to fresh, local food and areas for play and recreation.
In West Philadelphia, the Center for Culinary Enterprises, to be developed by the Enterprise Center Community Development Corporation, will convert a vacant supermarket into a cutting-edge facility providing kitchens for rent, and affordable resources, training, and education for culinary entrepreneurs.
The issue of suburban-style supermarkets in urban areas is one that Philadelphia has tackled head on. In response to concerns about the design of several new urban supermarkets, the Community Design Collaborative hosted its Infill Philadelphia initiative focusing on urban food retail design. Some of the region’s top architects and designers created prototypes for a supermarket, corner store, and large-scale food co-op, focusing on real-life sites, working with developers. This initiative took a step forward in connecting food access and community design in a productive way.
Food access is an important public health issue, indelibly connected to local community development, economic growth, and urban planning and design. Philadelphia’s success will surely rely on the ability of its local organizations and stakeholders to bridge these issues and develop interdisciplinary, comprehensive solutions.
Please join the Philadelphia Committee on City Policy for a discussion on “Food Access and Community Development,” to be held on Tuesday, Nov.10, 2009, 6:00 p.m. at the Center for Architecture (1218 Arch Street, Philadelphia).
Panelists will include:
- Yael Lehman, MSW - Executive Director, The Food Trust
- Vanessa Briggs, MBA, RD, LDN - Executive Director, Health Promotion Council of Southeastern Pennsylvania
- Donald Hinkle-Brown - President, Lending and Community Investments, The Reinvestment Fund
- Elizabeth Miller - Executive Director, Community Design Collaborative
The discussion will be moderated by Gregory Heller, Managing Director for Economic Growth and Community Revitalization, Enterprise Center Community Development Corporation.
By Gregory Heller, gheller@dvrpc.org