Brigette Garcia
May 4, 2012
Digital Humanities P:7
Food Deserts in Chicago
The people have created a society where class, color, economic status, just about every aspect of an individual determines where they are placed to live in society that endangers their health. Today, many communities face this issue, that they are forced to live in these kind of communities, an example would be North and South Lawndale in Chicago; both communities are known to be low income communities and due to this our communities suffer from Food Deserts. Food deserts are in the industrialized world where healthy, affordable food is difficult to obtain. Food deserts are prevalent in rural as well as urban areas and are most prevalent in low-socioeconomic minority communities.
Food deserts are relevant to Globalization in the form that trading has become more difficult to the people. Globalization is an elimination of barriers to trade, communication, and cultural exchange. There have been controversies about globalization having both its pros and cons. Food Deserts ties in with globalization, food is brought through trade either foreign countries or the ones within the country. The prices of food have been on a rise, which leads to certain people falling behind failing to care for their own health and then there children, who are not immune to some of the foods toxins. But there is not much choice for these people in the communities since they do not have the money to buy the healthier food. Whether they would risk spending a lot of money on few groceries some still do not have transportation or enough to ride the public transportation. The only resort left are the Mc. Donalds, the fast food restaurants that are right around their homes with frugal food but food that will only worsen their health. Globalization has a lot to do with politics, it all deals with the people sitting in the chairs in the capital state and in the chair that gives power to the individual. Society is placed and kept in certain places and keeping the people diverse from the wealthy to the poor. Chicago is well known for its segregation and once one takes a step in the communities, in the city one can well distinguish the differences in the communities from the poor to the wealthy; making sure that the people stay in these certain areas by raising and changing the prices on the products, one main product would be food.
Urban planning is the branch of architecture dealing with the design and organization of urban space and activities. Chicago has been divided and constructed in forms the people have not realize where they stand and their label in the world. The windy city is known for its segregation, for having a hierarchy in society, keeping the poor and rich apart, how? by the work one is allowed to have, the amount of knowledge a degree speaks. People who live in disadvantaged communities are most likely to have worse health issues. George A. Kaplan conducted a study in location of community and disadvantages:
After nine years, we discovered that those who live in this poverty area had a 71% greater chance of dying during that period than those who lived in other parts of oakland. Of course, the two groups of people differed in many ways, but when we took into account differences in income and education, health care access, race/ethnicity, smoking and other high risk behaviors, depression, and other factors by which they differed, those in the poverty are were still 50% more likely to die during those nine years! (George A. Kaplan, Ph.D.)
This reading has already presented that those people in these issues, the poverty line, the communities placed in plays a role in the person's health. Many Communities have already have to deal with the fact that there are factories that are obviously not good for the people but are placed in these communities because they are "low-income" communities where little kids and people fall into serious health issues. Now it is impossible to get a reach of healthy foods, specially with the amount people get for a job. Some people/families don't have a stable job. The stores are miles from people's home, while the fast food restaurants are around the corner. Healthy stores in communities that are low-income have to travel 10 miles, but there are some people who do not have a way to get there. To face the truth, there are many homeless people in the community, living of 1$ a day and that one dollar is spent a small meal that will only mess their health more, and possibly lead to death. If the healthy food, no chemicals added whereas cheap as fast food, more than half the people now would be as healthy as they could with low prices. The balance between healthy stores and fast food stores is incredibly uneven swinging too far side on fast food. In the studies conducted, the research had proven to show that certain people have access to a limited of foods.
Since Food Deserts are a part of Globalization in that in order for products to be received in the United States into all their destinations they need to be shipped, be transported to certain places. This accords need to be transported through a machine that requires oil, and in today’s economy prices have risen high. Everything is linked within each other, the reason for the good to be high priced is to be able to ship everything to its destinations. These communities are affected by something they are not even aware of, many are and many are not, most are not.