Degree Type

Thesis

Date of Award

2020

Degree Name

Master of Community and Regional Planning

Department

Community and Regional Planning

Major

Sustainable Agriculture; Community and Regional Planning

First Advisor

Francis Owusu

Abstract

Food pantries and free meal programs provide a critical service to low-income individuals and families living in the Des Moines MPA given the high rates of poverty and food insecurity. The geographic proximity of food assistance programs for low-income individuals and families provides a valuable indicator for understanding the potential success of these services given their limited means and options for transportation. First, this research sought to develop an organizational profile for each organization in an attempt to understand organizational influences on the location selection processes and criteria in practice. Second, this research sought to evaluate the potential geographic accessibility of these services for low-income individuals and families living in the Des Moines MPA by evaluating their geographic proximity using GIS to specific demographic data, the public transportation system, and other supplemental services. The interview process found that program organizers underwent an intentional location selection process utilizing criteria and that the type of organization (religious, nongovernmental or governmental) appears to play a role in the location selection criteria utilized in the decision-making process. The GIS analysis found the majority of programs are geographically accessible due to their close geographic proximity to public transportation stops, supplemental services, census tracts with high percentages of poverty, and census tracts with high percentages of racial diversity among residents. In sum, while food assistance programs appear to vary in their location selection decision-making processes, in practice, they tend to find and select locations that effectively serve low-income individuals and families living in the Des Moines MPA.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.31274/etd-20200624-57

Copyright Owner

Jacob Howe

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

File Size

112 pages

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