‘Food deserts’ are a growing problem in Michigan cities. Two Michigan State University professors believe they have an idea that might help.
'Food deserts’ are created when local supermarkets close and there’s no place where people can walk to buy fruits, vegetables and other fresh food.
MSU professors Phil Howard and Kirk Goldsberry wanted to see how bad the problem is in Lansing. Goldsberry says he was surprised that large sections of the capitol city are ‘food deserts’. He says, in many cases, if you want fresh food, you must drive to Lansing’s suburbs.
“The suburbanization of groceries has placed our best markets in commercially zoned in non-residential, automobile oriented areas. Essentially geographically separating our best produce sections from our most densely populated neighborhoods.”
The MSU professors have created an interactive map showing Lansing’s ‘urban food deserts’. They hope to create similar ‘food desert’ maps for Flint, Grand Rapids and other US cities.
Goldsberry says communities need to encourage more urban gardens and farmers markets to fill the gap in urban ‘food deserts’.
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