by Jenée Malloy
The lack of fresh and affordable food access in Atlanta, Georgia is a problem that cannot continue to go on. With over 400,000 residents living within city limits, it is quite alarming to know that many of those residents live in communities with no access to fresh foods or any sign of a grocery store. Recently, steps have been taken to alleviate the problem, but due to the magnitude of the issue in this midsize city, additional measures are needed to have a much stronger impact. Solutions that combine innovative, fresh food initiatives with available resources make for easy adoption while also leaving room for expansion and customization.
The city took some initiatives to resolve the issue, such as enhancement of zoning laws, expansion of a community garden program, and a partnered effort with the transportation system. Atlanta revised its zoning code in June 2014 to better enable the growth of community gardens and farms throughout the city. The focus of the bill was to amend the city’s zoning law “to support and promote urban agriculture.” This action has close ties to the next solution; expanding Atlanta’s community garden program. Currently, there are over 300 community gardens throughout metro Atlanta. These gardens help residents get by week to week by offering lower prices for fruits and vegetables and teaching healthier eating habits. Lastly, in 2015, the Atlanta mass transportation system, MARTA, began a pop-up market at one of its transit stations every Friday from 2 to 6 pm. After realizing the success of the setup, MARTA decided to expand the program. Now, four locations have a food kiosk equipped with fruits and vegetables offered during the week. In addition to transit proximity, the markets provide additional convenience by allowing customers to pay with cash, credit, debit or EBT. The program is looking to expand to more stations in 2018.
Atlanta’s initiatives have made progress toward addressing the food accessibility problem, but further development of these tactics are required to accommodate their shortfalls. For example, amending zoning laws to make it easier to grow community gardens and urban farms does not mean that they can be planted any and everywhere. One major threat to urban agriculture is contaminated soil. Cars can have a significant impact on city soil, and thus city produce. With Atlanta being a car dominant city, it is concerning that the automobile can contribute to contamination of fresh food gardens with greenhouse gases from traffic emissions. Expanding community gardens across the city instead of a grocery store also has its challenges. Residents with demanding schedules or other commitments might find it difficult to utilize the benefits of a typical garden. The Fresh MARTA Market program does a great job of connecting fresh food options to public transportation. Unfortunately, the kiosks have a limited selection of fruits and vegetables. The schedule can also pose a challenge considering each location is open only on a specific day of the week and during half of the year. With these time constraints, limited selections, and the potential health risk of working on contaminated soil, it is no wonder these solutions have not made a more significant dent in tackling food deserts.
After reviewing the current solutions and analyzing the strengths and weaknesses, I considered alternatives for the city to help alleviate its food desert problem. The first recommended solution is a shuttle system that operates for the sole purpose of connecting residents in food deserts to the nearest grocery store or fresh food vendor. Atlanta is very familiar with shuttle services. These shuttle systems have a range of connectivity objectives like university specific routes, transit to retail, as well as corporate and community-specific routes. Ideally, the shuttle system would follow a set route with pick-up and drop-off locations coming from USDA categorized food desert neighborhoods to the nearest fresh food grocery stores. The local Business Improvement District (BID) would cover the cost of the shuttle system and can either oversee operations themselves or outsource the task. This concept is loosely based on a BID operated shuttle system in Buckhead, Atlanta. The Buckhead buc is a shuttle service that connects riders to major destinations in Buckhead including shopping destinations, office buildings, restaurants, and hotels for free.
The next solution stems from a fresh food plan in West Philadelphia. The plan includes the creation of a fresh food hub for communities in need with a mobile grocery store similar to the concept of food trucks found today. The truck sells items like flour, vegetables, fresh produce, milk, eggs, and rice. Because it operates out of a truck, the mobile grocery store can bring fresh foods right into the community without committing to any major infrastructure changes. The West Philadelphia Fresh Food Hub partners with health organizations, local groups, and universities to “host workshops, events and health screenings.” This feature is a bonus for the community because it adds an educational component to the plan. Atlanta already has several food truck events held throughout the city that operate similarly to the way the mobile grocery would. This solution also allows the city to meet a need without enduring the construction costs of building several new grocery stores at once.
The goal of alleviating food deserts and providing access to fresh, affordable options for residents in the city of Atlanta is achievable through flexible, accessibility-focused planning programs. Atlanta business improvement districts can pool the necessary resources and stakeholders required to combat the issue. Additionally, planning advocates at these organizations have a rare opportunity to represent varying socioeconomic groups in an attempt to help them receive the fresh food resources they deserve. With the resources already available and implementation of the recommendations discussed, Atlanta has an opportunity to turn its food deserts into a food oases.