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Page 1 of 7 Good Eats in Old NorthCultivating a Sustainable Neighborhood by Increasing Access to Healthy FoodsIn the News: Learn more about this initiative in a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article and a University of Missouri Extension video. People flourish when they live in communities with parks, community gardens, access to nutritious food, and neighbors who know and support one another. Healthy and sustainable neighborhoods require healthy environments--public transit, grocery stores, schools, parks, and workplaces. The location of food resources and the built environment affects people’s ability to access healthy foods and incorporate physical activity in order to live a healthy life.
 In the 1960s and 1970s, many urban communities saw a major population decline as residents left the city for more spacious and new suburban living. Major supermarkets, along with other businesses, followed this trend and left the urban core for suburban land where lots were larger and more affordable. As a result of this, urban neighborhoods lost access to full grocery stores with their line-ups of meat, dairy products, and fresh produce. The result of this is what many researchers refer to as a food desert. A food desert is a geographic area with no, or distant, grocery stores. Such food deserts may also be oversaturated with fast-food restaurants and corner stores that offer few healthy items. Individuals and families cannot choose healthy foods if they do not have access to them.
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