Urban Sprawl has led to the creation of food deserts in metropolitan areas across the United States, according to a published study by a researcher at The University of Texas at Arlington.

Shima Hamidi, director of UTA’s Center for Transportation Equity, Decisions and Dollars, published “Urban sprawl and the emergence of food deserts in the USA” in Urban Studies Journal.

“We believe the analysis is one of the first national attempts to account for urban sprawl and other built-environment and socioeconomic characteristics of a neighborhood,” Hamidi said. “This study found that, in addition to socioeconomic characteristics, urban sprawl at both neighborhood and regional levels increases the likelihood of a neighborhood becoming or having a food desert.

“More compact neighborhoods are likely to support a greater number of grocery stores and have healthy food stores in close proximity.”

Source(s):

ENN

University of Texas at Arlington