Food insecurity is defined as “the lack of access to enough nutritionally adequate food for an active, healthy life for all members of a household” (Food Metrics Report, 2016) .
Areas with limited access to fresh produce have high rates of poverty, and diet related diseases, such as obesity and diabetes. The effects of food insecurity percolate to all parts of a society (health, education, economic development, etc..).
Grocery stores have an important role to play in the accessibility of fresh food at affordable prices, especially in high density urban areas where households that do not have access to cars
A study conducted by New York City reveals a shortage of grocery storeswhich affects roughly three million New Yorkers. These areas lack access to fresh produce and rely on alternatives like convenience stores, gas stations, and pharmacies.
To geographically explore the food access landscape of New York City. Specifically, to determine food availability in conjuncture with purchasing power, and identify resource-constrained populations.
Identify vulnerable populations
Identify fresh food provider options
To identify vulnerable populations, I used American community survey data and mapped it using the percent below poverty line. Percentage was used in order to compare across census tracts.
Then I combined the food retail store data with census tracts using the aggregate and intersect function in Carto.
After aggregating both data sets, I used SQL to create a food insecurity index.
I added farmer’s markets and food pantry data as alternatives to visualize how diverse the options are.
This project was created by Nour Zein. Nour Zein is a Environmental Policy graduate student at The New School interested in mapping and environmental issues.