Ideas + Insights
August 13, 2024Tools for Healthy Food Access
The Neighborhood Design Center collaborated with United Healthcare Services (UHC) to support local community projects that increase access to healthy foods.
Through the generous support of UHC and their ‘Empowering Healthcare’ Grant, we provided capacity-building and design services for three key projects:
These projects addressed:
The importance of these dialogues:
The projects also allowed residents to contribute to the dialogue about what culturally appropriate food access looks like in their neighborhoods.
These approaches were identified as important in two key jurisdictions where NDC works (Baltimore City and Prince George’s County) prior to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, which only made clearer the urgent need for investment in resilient, local, sustainable food systems.
We also developed three Healthy Food Access Tools — short how-to guides to prompt engagement. View each PDF below.
Walk Audit Tool
A Walk Audit familiarizes the community with the neighborhood, provide first hand exposure to issues the community faces, and to get them excited to participate in influencing a change.
View Guide
Focus Group Dinner Tool
Hosted in a community space, the event allows residents to enjoy food together, learn and share healthy cooking strategies, and contribute to the dialogue about what culturally appropriate food access looks like.
View Guide
Healthy Food Survey Tool
Surveys are an opportunity to capture the views of community members who may not attend public displays or meetings. They are a cost effective, low effort way to learn about challenges to healthy food access to guide a successful mobile food intervention.