Food Deserts in Chicago
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One such community plagued by a food desert is Englewood, located on the city’s Southwest Side.
It seems, however, that the Whole Foods project is one that is better on better than in reality. It does not appear as if the Whole Foods in Englewood is succeeding in the right ways to protect the community. In an article for the website Future for Food, Kate Durocher speaks to individuals in the Englewood community to gauge their reaction. She finds that, “Many agreed Whole Foods isn’t doing as much good as maybe they had hoped in the community. ‘When I go in here, I don’t see the same people from the neighborhood. I see a lot of teachers and cops and people cruising through here trying to gentrify the area,’ said Greg Goodman, 33, a teacher at the nearby Lindblom Math and Science Academy” (11-12). If people are “trying to gentrify the area,” that will most likely result in the displacement of the most at risk individuals. That would not be solving the problem posed by food deserts as much as it is kicking the can down the road for someone else to do with. One way to combat this potential gentrification and displacement could have been a community benefits agreement (CBA) to ensure that the community has access to new opportunities as a result of the development. That is something to consider for all projects moving forward, and a possibility could be making all grant money or tax breaks contingent on all parties agreeing to a CBA.
- Increased Community Engagement
- Tax Breaks for Larger Grocery Stores
- Microcredit Loans for Mom-and-Pop Stores
Works Cited
Kolak, Marynia. “Food Deserts Persist in Chicago despite More Supermarkets.” Chicago Reporter, 14 Oct. 2018, www.chicagoreporter.com/food-deserts-persist-in-chicago-despite-more-supermarkets/.
Ruppenthal, Alex. “New Law Requires Illinois to Track Food Deserts.” WTTW News, 18 Sept. 2017, news.wttw.com/2017/09/18/new-law-requires-illinois-track-food-deserts.