Access to healthy foods through transit An assessment of Metro’s Westside Subway Extension Presented by: Tamanna Rahman PP 224A Winter 2012 Midterm
Dec 24, 2015
Access to healthy foods through transit
An assessment of Metro’s Westside Subway Extension
Presented by: Tamanna RahmanPP 224A
Winter 2012Midterm
Metro’s ProposedWestside Subway Extension Project
Sept 2010 - Metro releases DEIR/EIS
Extends Purple line from Wilshire/Western to the Westwood VA
Project area: most densely populated
urban corridor Main centers of
employment in SoCal Expected completion
date: 2022 (earliest) Winter/Spring 2012 –
FEIR/EIS to be releasedhttp://www.metro.net/projects/westside/feis-eir-fact-sheet/
Subway-to-the-Sea…well sort of
Wilshire Transit Alternatives HIA
UCLA HIA Project and LADPH submit joint 18-pg comment letter
HIA Report How proposed Westside subway project and
transit alternatives will impact public health Provides recommendations
Obesity/overweight due to both lack of physical activity and poor nutrition
In LA County:
• 15.1% of adults consume fruits and vegetables per day
• 40% of adults eat fast food at least once a week (possibly is higher depending on location) Source:
http://www.lapublichealth.org/docs/keyindicators.pdf
Distribution of BMI in LA County
Data source: CHIS
35.9% of adults are overweight (BMI 25-30)
Source: http://www.lapublichealth.org/docs/keyindicators.pdf
22.2 % of adults are obese (BMI > 30)
22.9% of children in grades 5, 7, & 9 are obese (BMI above the 95th percentile
In Los Angeles County…
Data source: LAHealthNOW, ,UCLA Mapshare, AmericanFactFInder
Housing expenditures that exceed 30% of household income is conventionally viewed as an indicator of a housing affordability problem.
More spent on housing (and even transportation) means less available for discretionary spending (food, health care, recreation…)Data source: Social Explorer/ACS, UCLA Mapshare
Lower-Middle Income Households:
Impact of rent on disposal income is compounded by the fact that these are the same areas where the majority of the population are near poverty or low-income. Lower income neighborhoods tend to have fewer grocery stores and an abundance of fast food restaurants and convenience stores compared to higher-income neighborhoods.Data source: Social Explorer/ACS, Network for a Healthy California,
UCLA Mapshare
TANF Qualified Households:
Supermarkets within walking distance may foster access to and consumption of fresh, healthful foods while simultaneously serving as destinations that encourage PA
Near poverty as measured by qualification for TANF (temporary assistance for needy families – food stamps, housing assistance…)
Data sources: Social Explorer/ACS, Network for a Healthy California, UCLA Mapshare
Recommendations to Metro
Create new routes, increase service or re-route buses to better serve low-income residents who need access to grocery stores. (Hartford, CT)
Use TOD and new development in already built-up urban areas to attract grocery stores as tenants. (Washington, DC)
Organize weekly farmers markets at transit stop (Vermont/Wilshire station)
Skills Used
Geoprocessing Clip Buffer
Geocoding (supermarkets, farmers markets, fast food locations)
Custom shapefile creation Proposed subway route and stations Food environment (supermarket, farmers markets, fast food)
Inset map Aggregating attribute fields
aggregated annual household income data to highlight low-income populations in project area.
Boundary sub-set selection created to highlight project area that is within ½ mile of subway stops
Selection by Location Graduated symbols & colors, pie chart