Abstract

A Comprehensive Method for Identifying Optimal Areas for Supermarket Development
Track: Urban and Regional Planning
Authors: Lance Loethen, Scott Haag, Scott Haag

TRF manages the Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative (FFFI), which provides loan and grant financing for supermarket development in areas that are relatively underserved by fresh food retailers. TRF's Policy Solutions staff used ArcGIS to develop a methodology for identifying communities having disproportionately low access to supermarkets compared to the benchmark distances of their cohorts. Cohorts are defined by their varying rates of car ownership and population density levels - two variables that significantly influence how far households are expected to travel to shop for groceries. Benchmark distances are represented by averages for all block groups, within each cohort, with median household incomes above 120% of the metro area (or state if non metro), based on research indicating that more affluent areas are adequately served by supermarkets. Underserved block groups are then spatially clustered to determine Low Access Areas, the final geographic unit representing underserved communities (multiple block groups).