Philadelphia Foodscape Strategy

Philadelphia

Philabundance Community Foodscape Study

Contents + Credits This work was funded by Novo Nordisk Inc (NNI) and Novo Nordisk A/S (NNAS) and completed in partnership with Cities Changing Diabetes and Philabundance in Philadelphia. Novo Nordisk + Cities Changing Diabetes Bo Wesley, Global Prevention and Health Promotion Louise Hesseldal, Global Project Lead Karin Gillespie, Director, Alliance Development and US Project Lead Klaus Madsen, Lead Stakeholder Engagement Consultant Philabundance Jamiliyah Foster, Director, Ending Hunger For Good Melanie Cataldi, Senior Vice President and Chief Impact Officer Samantha Mogil, Manager, Ending Hunger for Good Candace Matthews-Bass, Dep. Director, Workforce and Community Development Mojisola Delano, Foodscapes Study Coordinator Gehl — Making Cities for People Jeff Risom, Chief Innovation Officer Sophia Schuff, Project Manager Olivia Flynn, Urban Designer Candelaria Mas Pohmajevic, Urban Designer Jonna Ekholm, Architect Archie Cantwell, Architect

01 Approach

Why is studying foodscapes relevant?

02 Project background

How do we study food behavior and public space?

03 Insights

What are the links between the built environment and people’s food behavior in Philadelphia ?

04 Strategy

How might we improve access to food and shift diets?

01 Introduction

Executive Summary

“

More than 422 million people worldwide have diabetes. If we are to change the trajectory of the disease, a clinical response is essential but not enough. We must turn our imagination towards social factors and cultural determinants to design new and different interventions. - ‘Urban Diabetes, Understanding the challenges and opportunities ‘ Cities Changing Diabetes

Our collaboration with Cities Changing Diabetes, and this foodscape study starts with two simple questions: what is the relationship between the food system and the urban environment, and how might we achieve a positive dietary shift at the neighborhood level through local interventions and strategies? This report is the culmination of a seven-month collaboration with Cities Changing Diabetes (CCD) and three of their network cities - Bogota, Houston and Philadelphia. The aim of this work is to investigate, measure, and develop intervention concepts for CCD’s local city partners in their efforts to contribute to quality of life and food security. CCD’s program is a unique initiative that leverages civil society, city administrations, businesses and practitioners to find innovative and actionable

solutions to improving health outcomes and promote positive health behaviors. This report describes our study motivations, methods of data collection and community involvement, key comprehensive findings specific to each city, and recommendations for each city’s local partner for food environment improvements and guidance on how to get started today. Overall, a foodscape study is the analysis of the food places, the public life, and the public space that makes up a specific environment. It is the process of understanding three realms of influence over a foodscape; how individual people, businesses, and institutions shape the foodscape. We found that there is a strong correlation between the built environment and urban systems on people’s everyday

food consumption. Urban systems provide different levels of choice, access, transit connectivity, civic participation and enjoyment. The urban system is intrinsically linked to the food system, as it also contributes to a societally recognized food culture, the visibility of demand, and the diversity of food offerings available to people. We found that when people live in a highly dense residential area with few food options, the opportunity to intervene with food related interventions is high. Conversely, when people live in a highly dense residential area with an abundance of food options around every corner, the likelihood of an intervention to shift dietary norms is less straight forward. The analysis revealed that regardless of how many food options are available in the cities

surveyed, people still express desire and the wish for healthy affordable options. These measures revealed that a context specific approach is needed to ensure interventions succeed. Studies of food habits in relation to the built environment are still largely lacking. Collecting this data is incredibly useful to continue to bring human stories and people-centered data into the conversation. The report concludes by offering recommendations to Cities Changing Diabetes and each city’s local partner about ways to implement, fund, design and program activities to improve the food environment. These recommendations come in the form of pilot project concepts, and a pathway for how these concepts can lead to achieving bold visions and lasting impact.

Why is studying foodscapes relevant?

Food and Cities

Food and identity

Food and Visual Cues

The general health of a population rests on food security. Being food secure means the ability to be sure you can access enough nutritious food to sustain your quality of life, stay healthy and participate in society.

Food is a vehicle for expressing one’s culture. It has the power of being both a biological necessity, and a symbolic cultural signifier. Because food has the capability of expressing one’s identity, it serves an important social purpose and may be a tool to solving many urban inequalities. This is something that those working with food environments can leverage to improve health outcomes.

The environment around us supports certain habits and prevents others. Reduced access to fresh ingredients or prepared meals is a leading cause of lifestyle diseases such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and more.

Due to the industrialization of the food system, many of the cultural and social benefits of food have become invisible. Yet humans are driven by common understanding, culture and community. It is within this context that the environment in which foods are grown, processed, distributed, and eaten, should be elevated to the same importance as the food itself.

• Advertising and signage

Historically, the picture of a community’s food security was based on one’s economic means and distance from home to the grocery store. Yet now we know much more. An intricate system of disinvestment in public realm quality, dwindling social programs, inefficient distribution systems, social isolation, broken mobility networks and a lack of affordable housing constitute the social and cultural determinants of health. Therefore, responses to addressing systemic food insecurity must overlap, involve a diverse range of stakeholders and exist up and down the ladder from on the ground-action to policy.

Throughout our research we discovered a number of urban characteristics that when combined, induce a predominant consumption of processed and ultra processed food. • Proximity of ultra processed food & fast food outlets to transit nodes • Proximity of ultra processed food & fast food outlets to home • Perception of travel time to local fruit and vegetable retailers • Time scarcity associated with modern life driving people to convenience stores with longer opening hours

If we study the food rituals that unfold within everyday spaces, and the quality • Trust and social relationships of those spaces, we may begin to unlock between food retailers and the necessary ingredients for making a customers foodscape that works well, for all!

What are the components of a foodscape?

What is a foodscape? The foodscape is one’s surrounding environment, and defines the food experience of neighborhoods and communities. It is comprised of: - Food Places - Public Life - Public Space Food Places Food places are a direct interface between the food system at a macro level, and the consumer on the individual level. Food places aren’t only grocery stores, restaurants or cafes, but are a vast network of services from food banks to farmers markets, and corner stores to street vendors.

Corner stores

The local food bank

city wide benefits. A vibrant public life is an indicator of a city or place that is successful in an economic, social and environmental sense.

Farmers market

Picnic spots

CCaa féfé

per

rke

Take-away & cafes

Food places

BBQ with friends

For the food system, public life places an essential role in influencing food behaviors. Public Space Public space is the city network on which public life takes place. It is the streets, plazas, parks and city spaces between buildings. The quality of public space often determines the perception of public safety and security, helps foster community cohesion, and sets the framework for activities or programs and how they invite people outside.

Waiting for the bus

Shopping for groceries GR

Playing with children

Public life CCaa fféé

per

rke

Plazas & squares

Parks Civic places

Third spaces

Public Life

The combination of high quality public spaces and nutritious and accessible Public life is what people create when food offerings can create the right they connect with each other in public spaces. It is about the everyday activities conditions for healthier food behaviors. that people naturally take part in when they spend time with each other outside of the home, car, or workplace. Fostering a robust public life produces a ripple effect of neighborhood and

NEW

Public Space

Sidewalks & Streets

Data Collection A data driven approach to understanding the local context of where everyday life happens through a multistakeholder planning 1% process.

2 Understanding

User Experience

10%

Aiming for lasting change

COLD BEER

Leigh Ave

89%

Germantown

ing gh s li ne cu Fo rail li on

Fotterall Square

Huntingto

n Ave

Leigh Ave

nd St.

York St.

Ave.

3 Develop Healthy Dauphin

St.

. Ave

Permaniz e edge seat ing

Norris St.

Susqueha

nna Ave

P P HI R L O LY D U FA C R E M S E TA R N S D

Projects

Interventions that start to achieve the foodscape strategy on a small scale at the neighborhood level. Pilots can help make the case for the larger, longer-term investments needed.

6 Scale Strategy For City Wide Impact

Use success criteria and momentum from the pilot to attract larger infrastructure investment, policy change, & more.

Moore

12th St.

Create a stronger connectio n to temple

Berks St.

Mountgo

mery

Delight

5 Evaluate & Set Criteria For Success

Evaluate success of local projects against long-term value creation indicators together with local stakeholders.

Diamond

Norris St.

10th St.

Cecil B.

15th St.

mery

Broad St.

17th St.

Mountgo

4 Test With Pilot

16th St.

Berks St.

Based on the stories we find from observation and engagement, we develop a series of strategies to achieve 'lasting impact’ in a neighborhood.

St.

Mobile vend in vacant ers lots

New mob ile venders Germantown Ave.

Once a pilot is implemented, it changes incrementally based on what you learn from users. The more feedback and iterations a pilot goes through, the more you can use its successes to support long-term investment.

Dauphin

Geasy Field

St.

York St.

n tow

Pilot projects and prototypes are a tool to make the case for long-term impact and change. A pilot is a much less costly and risky way to meet people at eye-level and test various solutions and ideas. It is an effective dialogue tool that can build upon existing opportunities.

Diamond

Piloting to get started

Food Strategy

Celebrat e Do-life-g rew as a Food space

Susqueha

nna Ave

Using this clear evidence basis, we provide an ambitious Healthy Foodscape Strategy. The strategy is a vision for the future, and depends on a multi-sectoral approach where individuals, institutions and businesses all gain to benefit.

Bus stop improvem ents

Improvin g More spac sidewalks stationar e for y activities

Penrose Recreational Center

Cumberla

We create lasting change in the foodscape by building upon data and human stories. We identify how public space, food places and public life intersect and create a neighborhood’s unique conditions.

Rather than things and artefacts, we engage with experiences, stories and narratives.

N. Park

How do we intervene in the foodscape?

Comfort Safety

St.

HOUSTON, USA Population: 2,31 million Area: Southwest Houston Density: 1,398.76/km2 Areas Surveyed: 7

PHILADELPHIA, USA Population: 1,579 million Area: North Philadelphia Density: 4,554.76/km2 Areas Surveyed: 11

PHILABUNDANCE COMMUNITY KITCHEN

Which urban form characteristics lead to food habits that can prevent lifestyle diseases?

CITY-WIDE DENSITY

BOGOTÁ, Colombia Population: 7,181 million Area: 4 peripheral neighborhoods Density: 6,918/km2 Areas Surveyed: 16

BOGOTA NEIGHBORHOODS LOW DENSITY

We looked at three cities - each with high levels of diabetes and other lifestyle diseases, but unique in their geography, culture, available amenities and priorities in addressing food insecurity.

HIGH DENSITY

Urban typologies across three CCD cities

HOUSTON ALIEF/ ASIATOWN

LACK OF FRESH FOOD

NEIGHBORHOOD FOOD DIVERSITY & DENSITY

VARIED & HEALTHY OFFER

02 Project Background

This matrix helps compare each city across their unique urban forms and level of food insecurity, and acts as a pathway to defining what interventions are best suited to each neighborhood.

CITY-WIDE DENSITY LOW DENSITY

We draw connections between the built environment and people’s everyday food behavior in three cities of different scales and food offering. We see four main strategies for nudging people towards healthy food behaviors.

HIGH DENSITY

Meeting communities where they are High Density Food Desert

High Density Varied Food Offer

Focus on increasing access to healthy food and improving the mobility experience

Focus on creating a positive food environment and making the healthy choice the easy choice

Low Density Food Desert

Low Density Varied Food Offer

Focus on increasing access to healthy food and creating a positive food environment

Focus on improving mobility connections and investing in a dignified public realm

LACK OF FRESH FOOD

NEIGHBORHOOD FOOD DIVERSITY & DENSITY

VARIED & HEALTHY OFFER

Key themes for North Philadelphia Unequal Access

Trust and Engagement

Public Safety

Community Diversity

People have a difficult time accessing food both due to the quality of their surrounding environment and to the food that is on offer within walking distance to home.

The community surrounding the Philabundance Community Kitchen is under delivered to, is over surveyed and has an understandably difficult relationship to top down engagement.

How might we make it easier for people to get affordable food in their neighborhood?

How might we help trusted neighborhood partners and advocates distribute food and resources more efficiently?

Public safety is one of the biggest barriers to getting food safely. People feel uncomfortable walking at night, and many neighborhood streets lack maintenance but also food shops and corner stores feel vulnerable to theft and vandalism.

The food offering is limited, generally offering ultra-processed foods or fried take-away that lacks nutrients, despite the fact that people crave a diversity in food offering - both in price and in taste.

Geographic Differences The urban quality makes it challenging to move around and stay, and the lack of high quality public spaces makes lingering on street seem like a nuisance rather than a lively and vibrant activity. How might we make it easier for people to spend time in public spaces, while also supporting walking, biking and taking public transport to get food?

How might we bring dignity and delight to moving around the community, buying food and eating in public spaces throughout the neighborhood?

How might we support local business development that celebrates people’s favorite foods and cultural heritage?

Methodology for studying foodscapes A People-First Approach A bridge between quantitative and qualitative observational research, our methodology places an emphasis on orienting data to design and then to action. Working with foodscapes requires a triangulation of data to understand the relationship between the city, its citizens, and the food they eat. Our work is based on the human dimension – The built environment’s effect on social interaction between people. People experience the city using all of their senses. The starting point for this project is to put Houston at eye-level and prioritize a ‘peopleoriented’ focus in the planning process.

The Public Life Study

The Foodscape Study

The Intercept Survey

A PSPL provides empirical evidence and arguments for improving the public realm. We count people moving through the city on different modes of transportation. We map where and how people stay, the activities they engage in, and the demographics of people present or missing from the public realm.

The Foodscape Study provides a quantitative picture of how food behavior relates to the food environment. We measure food behavior - how people move food items, and how people stay in the public realm with food. We measure the food environment - mapping the frontages of food places to determine what they signal and how they meet the street.

We survey people’s personal sentiment by conducting a range of qualitative methods. Focus groups, on site interviews and online questionnaires. Questions are framed by how people spend time in the public realm, how they get around and to where, and the emotional and habitual relationship people have with food.

72˚

Alleyway

Hotel

72˚

degree viewing angle

Alleyway

Kiosk

degree viewing 0238 angle

Smelling

Walking We walk at an average of 5km per hour and we experience many details at this speed.

A desirably scented environment is stimulating and can positively affect our emotional state.

5km

Food behaviors

We use food as a form of nutrition, to socialize or to quench bordum.

Listening A positive and low sound-scape is important for human well-being and communication.

Seeing people, spaces & buildings

Public life Foodscape Intercept survey

0,5-3,7M

Food Place The density, price and variety of food places Mapping

indicate how30M accessible

food is to a community. Recognising

Facade measurements

individuals

& one-way communication

Talking & interacting

15m e

72˚

visual angle

20%

facade

signag

seatin ad

Our senses are mainly horizontal and our sight range is limited when we look upwards.

Talking edge

zone

A desirably scented environment is stimulating and can positively affect our emotional state.

The appearance of a food place communicates how welcome or excluded one may feel.

20M

Learning from the community

unique 1:1 stakeholder conversations

How can longterm residents be centered in leadership roles with building strategies and solutions to these challenges?

Stakeholder Sessions We hosted stakeholder session inviting representatives from local business groups, a mix of city departments, community representatives and more. We also had a series of 1:1 discussions with various stakeholders.

I had no idea how far off we were from understanding our community and what people need. This work shows a clear path forward.

In-Person Engagement We went to Village of Arts and Humanities during a food box give-away to have conversations with residents about what kinds of foods they love, the food experiences they cherish, and how they get their food.

Hi Philly! We want to hear about your food experiences in this neighborhood

Conversations with Corner Stores We had two meaningful interviews with corner store owners in the neighborhood.

Interviews with Local Organizations We spoke to ten local organizations working with food inequality in this neighborhood.

I am heartened by the fact that everyone wants fresh produce and to cook with their families!

It’s difficult for Black and Brown businesses and farmers to get the resources they need to start and maintain businesses

online respondents

in person interviews

Public Life Survey 22 local students and community members spent two days on site collecting public life data.

I’m surprised by the public public realm disinvestment and gendered space design

11 areas

surveyed by 22 local people

“I have a lot of grand -kids. We love to have big dinners together as a family. Covid has made that hard for us.”

“I eat alone at home, my husband is in the hospital. I enjoy walking to pick up my groceries.” Maptionnaire respondents

We studied public life in North Philadelphia

Where we observed public life

Germantown Meditation Park

Hunting

ton Ave

Leigh A

ve Germantown Ave & Village of Arts & Humanities

Cumber

land St.

10th St.

12th St.

Ave.

hanna A ve

York St.

e. Av

Susque

n tow

N. Park

Foterall Square

Do Life Grow Farm Broad S

15th St.

St.

Dauphin

of locals are living below the poverty line, and 21.8% of people are food insecure.

16th St.

York St. 17th St.

45%

Leigh A ve

PCK Dauphin

Broad d St. & Susquehanna

St.

Diamon

Berks S

Susque

hanna A ve

Germantown Ave.

Norris S

Penrose Playground & Susquehanna

Diamon

d St.

Norris S

Mountg

omery

Cecil B.

Moore

Cecil B. Moore To measure public life, we partnered with Philabundance, a hunger relief organization with a new community located at the heart of North Philadelphia.

Temple University Area

Temple Food Court

Berks S

Mountg

omery

People source their food from many places Accessing fresh food is challenging for residents. Stores and restaurants do not sell the produce people want and corner stores often mark up the price. People are relying on the emergency food distribution system and grocery stores on the outskirts of the neighborhood. These challenges force people to patch together meals from a variety of food vendors in the neighborhood.

Corner Stores

Mom & Pop Takeout

Fast Food

Supermarket

Emergency Food Distribution

Mapping Food Places • Supermarkets • Corner stores • Emergency food sites • Fast food places • Mom & pop takeout

Mobile Vendors

Learning from four types of residents We’ve spoken to four overarching groups of residents that we’re designing for. It’s not easy to get fresh food in this neighborhood across the board. There are some unique challenges people face depending on how many people are in their household, their everyday mobility challenges, and the amount of time they have in a given day to seek out food.

Lonely Neighbor Needs opportunities to connect with others and help getting around.

Committed Caregiver Needs more convenient places for healthy food for their kids.

Solo Striver Needs a more frequently available healthy on-thego meal.

Independent Senior Needs places to safely gather and eat with their family.

Around a third of local pedestrians are moving with food. People moving with food is an indicator of how often they are buying take-away, eating while on-the-go, or carrying groceries home. We track how people move with food to understand if there is much food activity taking place in a community, and if so where it is happening.

A The split of how people move with food is quite even across the different streets. 30 - 40% of pedestrians are moving while with food, which is a pretty high number.

Susquehanna Ave & Park Ave

Broad St & Susquehannah Ave

14%

20% 13%

5% 68%

69%

Cecil B Moore Ave & Broad Street

Germantwon Ave & W Huntingdon St

21%

16% Walking without Food or Drink

4% 5%

54%

24%

Walking while Eating/Drinking Walking w/ Groceries

70%

Walking w/ Food or Drink

B We can also see that people are primarily walking with groceries along Germantown which is a corridor connecting the community to one of the primary grocery stores.

THANK YOU

HAVE A NICE DAY

Walking without food

Walking while eating

Walking with groceries

Walking with food

Food related activities are primarily on Germantown.

Leigh A ve

Hunting

ton Ave

Identifying where food activities take place help us understand what places are performing in a way that supports a dynamic and healthy foodscape. We split registrations into three typologies in order to define the diversity of activity types.

18%

land St.

17%

81%

York St.

Ave.

10th St.

12th St.

N. Park

York St.

e. Av

Do Life Grow Farm

n tow

Broad S

16th St.

17th St.

15th St.

44%

28%

44%

St.

Germantown Ave & Village Meditation Park Ge

Dauphin

65%

Germantown Meditation Park

11%

hanna A 37% ve

Dauphin d St.

Broad & Susequehanna Susque

hanna A ve

17%

Norris S

t. 17% 67%

Berks S

Susequehanna & Park

Germantown Ave.

Germantown has the most invitations for people to eat, which is visible in the data. How can we catalyze the culinary activity happening on Germantown and turn it into recreational activity as well?

St.

35%

Diamon

The intersection of Broad and Susequehanna and Cecil B Moore support the most diverse range of activities happening, yet have the lowest range of food consumption.

Leigh A ve

18%

Cumber

Susque

Diamon

d St.

Norris S

Mountg

omery 27%

Cecil B.

35%

40%

Moore

60% 5%

33%

Cecil B. Moore

Temple Food Court

Recreational Activities Recreational Berks S ie: playing Behaviors t. Necessary Activities Necessary + ie: waiting for bus Other Behavior Mountg omery Food Related Activities Food Behavior

03 Insights

A Most food options are for Temple University, not for residents. A

The official food map doesn’t match the lived experience of food. People may not feel welcome in many of the neighborhood’s food places for a variety of personal and cultural reasons. This makes the food amenity offer available to people shrink dramatically.

Broad Street Options Germantown Options Temple University Options Supermarkets

Many locals perceive the Temple University food environment to be unwelcoming, reducing the number of accessible food places.

West In d

iana Av enue.

st We

West C am

bria St.

West L eih

igh Ave

Cousin’s Fine Fare

West Yo r

North 5 th St.

k St.

West D au

phin St.

17th St.

10 min walk

North

There are few places that sell fresh produce where people live.

nu Ave d oo nw Gle

Only about 19% of residents live within a walkable distance to a grocery store. If you don’t live near one of the three surrounding grocery stores, you are a 20+ minute walk away.

1th St. North 1

North

12th St.

Cousin’s

Cecil B M

oore Ave

The Fresh Grocer of Progress Plaza

Less density More density Grocery store 10 minute walk

nue

B There are few places that sell fresh produce where people live.

What is for sale where people spend most of their time?

What people actually want to eat... Rice and beans

People can’t find the prepared food that they’re looking for or the produce they need to cook it at home. Instead, they find processed foods.

Seafood salad

Roast Chicken

Mac& Cheese

Tostones Watermelon

Yuca

Tunips

#1 Soul Food

Roast Pork

Out of 61 food places, only two places sell fresh produce within a walkable distance to home.

Collard greens

#2 Fresh Fruit & Vegetables

Fresh fruit salad

Cake

Steamed greens

Potatoes and potato salad Candied yams

#3 Something Sweet

Cheesecake

West In dian

a Avenue

ood nw

nu Ave

West Ca mbr

ia St.

le st G We

Los Mellizos Inc. Grocery Almonte Deli Grocery

West Le ihig

Maria’s Grocery Reese Grocery

h Ave

LLG Grocery J&J Deli Grocery

La Guaualupana Family Dollar

Howard St Grocery Palenque Mini-Market

Somerset Grocery

James Produce

West Yo rk St

West D auph

in St.

“I provide the food people need — spices, canned food, pantry staples, I even have potatoes and onions but it’s really hard to store and sell produce.” - Corner Store Owner

17th St

Lee’s Foodway

North

7-Eleven The Hut

7-Eleven Lee’s Foodway

th St. North 11

Colombia deli

12th St

Mini Market

North

Local food options exist — but don’t provide food for people to thrive.

North 5t h St.

Corner stores are close to home but don’t have what people need

Cecil B M

oore Aven

Density Corner Store

The emergency food system takes a lot of effort from both sides

Corner stores are located where people are but they can’t sell produce because of infrastructure and logistics. The emergency food system has fresh food but aren’t located where people are and are time intensive.

I get my food wherever I can use food stamps — The Village, churches, community centers. The grocery stores too — they’re just further out. -Community Member

There are around 15 emergency distribution sites in the neighborhood

C Corner stores don’t offer a dignified food experience.

Corner stores make up a lot of the food offering but suffer from many capacity and infrastructural challenges.

Not accessible to everyone

Opaque exterior

COLD BEER

Corner stores are the majority of food places, but they don’t have a dignified food environment. Over half of people we surveyed, 63%, said they eat with family and friends ,yet they can’t access food for those social occasions close to home.

Inside: one can’t see, touch and smell options

Natural gathering place but no place to sit

We’re not sure if this place has options for us

Penrose Playground Activity Distribution + Quality Score

Places with a food offering have a low quality public realm.

Broad & Susquehanna Activity Distribution & Quality Score

10%

Humanscale

42% of the users of Penrose playground are children and young adults. There is nowhere for them to stop and share a meal with their friends and family, despite many wishing for that.

35%

Aesthetic qualities

37%

Microclimates

89%

Ability to walk and bike

Recreational Activities Necessary Activities

Invitations to stay

Places to sit

28% Recreational Activities Necessary Activities

Food Related Activities

Good views and visibility

Physical safety from traffic danger

Opportunities for play and exercise

Social safety from crime, violence, and harassment

Good acoustics

Protection from wind, glare, cold, foul odors, noise

The Quality Criteria ranking provides a qualitative picture of how well a public space is performing for its users.

D Places for recreation are high quality but don’t have food offerings. A

People really value getting together & sharing meals but they are lacking places to do that. Everyone we spoke to prefers to eat homemade food and most like to enjoy it with others.

63%

of people prefer to eat with family and friends

I love cooking with my grand kids -Independent Senior

I really enjoy cooking for my friends and family - Solo Striver

It’s the best when everyone makes something and brings it to the table — I love that. -Lonely Neighbor

E Low quality public realm reduces food access.

A large majority of the local population move by walking or public transportation. The pedestrian experience makes it difficult to reach your destination in a dignified and convenient manor.

Assumed time from subway to supermarket 18 min

No groceries or healthy food where people ready are spending time

Actual time from subway to supermarket 23 mins

Not enough sidewalks, and too much trash

162 people moving 54 people moving M

54 people moving

882 people moving

Disinvestment in t he neighborhood shows in the undermaintained routes

Cousin’s Supermarket No shade

Key takeaways

In a densely populated and central community, nutritious food at an affordable price is too difficult to find.

There are pockets of life and activity that we can capitalize on, and a range of people who want new food options.

The public realm is harsh and under-maintained after decades of disinvestment.

How might we introduce healthy food options within walking distance to home?

How might we introduce opportunities to buy food where people already spend their recreational time and support new businesses?

How might we create a culture of public life by supporting local businesses and public realm improvements?

Diversify the food options closer to home

Introduce food where people spend time

Bring dignity to the public realm

04 Strategy

• Public space upgrades that support food • Collaborations and partnership models across stakeholders • Daily rhythms around food • Public life and social interaction

• Presence of healthier food in local communities • Price of healthier food options • Perception of the foodscape • Presentation & visibility of fresh ingredients • People that can unlock food access

ki Qu i c

cale impro ve m

People

s od-

Programs & Investments

Five pillars provide a holistic approach to tackle food insecurity. These strategies aim to reach the following goals:

Lon

ts n e

Ne i g hb

Test strategies needed for lasting impact through pilot projects. Pilots test:

Building trust with communities

Breaking down silos

Policy change

Lasting Impact

Increasing access & visibility

Pilot projects

a imp

Rapid Change

m er

The Healthy Foodscape Strategy is built by 5 key pillars of action, and three pilots to get started.

ntation on t

Intervening in the foodscape requires a systemic approach. In order to achieve the Healthy Foodscape Strategy, we believe rapid pilots will kick start that process. Pilots offer a springboard into action and build local trust - and eventually a pathway to policy change. Pilots provide the perfect baseline for catalyzing engagement from citizens and initiating the incremental change.

e lem

ou gr

From rapid change to lasting impact

Key pillars for building a Healthy Foodscape Strategy.

Leigh A ve

RAPID CHANGE PILOT PROJECTS

e. Av

Ave. N. Park

Philabu nd Commu ance nity Kitc hen

n tow

hanna

Susque

2. Design a food environment enjoyable for all

York St.

1. Diversify and densify the food offering

Ave

LASTING IMPACT 4. Improve the people-first mobility experience t. Broad S

5. Maintain a dignified public realm

Cecil B.

Moore

Germantown Ave.

11th St.

3. Increase healthy food access

Diversify and densify the food offering.

Indicate the fresh and warm meals on offer inside

Support corner stores and restaurants in carrying fresh produce Support local businesses with small loans or grants to open in vacant spaces and empty lots

Brooklyn, New York

Encourage PCK students with entrepreneurship programs to start their own culinary businesses nearby Work with supermarkets to provide simple, nutritious recipes alongside produce at the store so its easy for people to expand what they could make at home

Display food outside

Chinatown, NYC

Implement a jobs program for youth to help carry food home to people Help women as head of household and essential workers with food amenities near to transit stops and home

JoJo SoHo, UK

Citta Market, Tokyo

Design a food environment enjoyable for all.

Designate food areas where people are

Promote outdoor grilling and dining in parks and public spaces Create a unique and inviting environment of comfortable seats and playful elements Improve the outdoor micro-climate with ample shade and vegetation Consider multi-generational needs with comfortable seating and functions for different user groups

Create social seating Mint Hill, Charlotte

Integrate greenery

Shade people from weather

Introduce ways for people to take ownership with picnic tables, grilling areas or water fountains Bring healthy food options to where people already are in key public spaces Invite people to see and investigate their surrounding food options

Offer places to grill and eat in a group

Lighthouse Park, Roosevelt Island

Opportunities for outdoor seating

Increase healthy food access.

Provide a variety of mobile options

Sync up efforts and reduce redundancies through a shared platform and logistics network for the emergency food system Supplement grocery stores with a fleet of mobile grocery and prepared food vendors

FoodShare Truck — Toronto

Bring food to people with recipes Make it simple to buy healthy foods

Improve the internal infrastructure and capacity of corner stores to sell prepared meals and fresh produce Work with existing and new restaurants to develop a list certified healthy dishes Teach existing restaurants to transition specific low-nutrient ingredients on their menus Limit advertising for non-nutritious food items on corner stores

Philabundance

Approve healthy menu options

Philabundance

Fresh RX — Houston

Improve the peoplefirst mobility experience. Introduce real time bus signage and expected times of arrival Improve the bus stop waiting experience with shelter and plenty of seating

Delinatea seperate Provide high space for cyclists quality waiting time and pedestrians for bus riders Cultural Trail — Indianapolis

Lower the barrier to entry for micromobility options by partnering with a micro-mobility company with equitable access plans

Give people visibility with bump-outs & painted cross walks

Make it easy and convenient to carry groceries by bike, on foot or by bus Introduce a maintenance plan for crosswalks and sidewalks Implement traffic calming along major roads and commercial streets to make movement between home and grocery stores easier and safer

Consider pedal assist or electric micromobility Jump E-Bikes, Nationwide

Sao Paulo, Brazil

Maintain a dignified public realm.

Integrate greening along the street scape

Address real safety concerns so people feel confident to walk in the local network and get food options after dark Promote both real and perceived safety with a broad range of lighting and sidewalk improvements Introduce a vegetation strategy to bring green elements into the community

Open up facades to communicate what’s inside

Keep lighting consistent

Place food amenities adjacent to other services such as the metro, religious institutions or community centers Advocate for moments of play and moments of pause into everyday commuter routes

Improve paving quality and sidewalk signage

IN FOCUS

Mobile Grocery Store Eat Well & Fresh Truck As a response to disinvestment and a lack of accessible fresh food in their communities, both organizations opened a grocery store on wheels. Retrofitted buses that offer fresh and healthy foods at below market, affordable prices.

typically source. Their pathway to longevity is to set price margins low, and ensure the produce is purchased to cover basic costs.

“The role of a health care organization is not only to care for the sick, but to proactively prevent The buses service food desert people from becoming sick in the first communities with higher rates of place. We have an obligation to create obesity, diabetes, and diet-related communities of wellness, and one diseases. This new option fills the of the surest ways to achieve that is gap of lacking services, getting to help people eat well and improve nutritious food to people’s doorsteps. their access to nutritious foods, so that convenience stores and fastThe mobile vendors do not serve free food restaurants are not the default food, but purchase wholesale foods selection.” similar to the produce food banks Dennis Pullin, CEO of Virtua Health.

About Fresh, Boston

Financial models

About Fresh, Boston

About Fresh covers overhead costs through their market, and operations is financed through a range of sponsorship, grants, government support and donations.

Key take-aways Introduce an independent yet subsidized food offering to move away from emergency food! Strengthen the visibility of healthy, nutritious and well sourced in local communities! Help consumers access food by bringing it straight to them!

Virtua set a $4 million fundraising goal for Eat Well to cover start up costs and the program’s first 5 years of operation.

Eat Well, Virtua Health

IN FOCUS

New York City Healthy Bodegas Initiative

Healthy Bodegas Initiative - NYC Launched by the New York City Health Department in 2006, the Healthy Bodegas Initiative promotes the availability of and demand for healthy food. It focuses on bodegas (corner shops) in three boroughs that suffer from high rates of obesity and diabetes.

2010 Report

wider range of nutritious foods, and the Adopt-a-Bodega program, which built a relationship with community organizations. In 2008, the Health Department launched a pilot project to link bodegas with local farmers’ markets to ensure high-quality products at low prices.

Store Selection The Health Department defines a bodega as a food store that: • Has no more than two cash registers • Sells mostly food and doesn’t specialize in any one item, such as candy or meat • Sells milk The initiative focuses on bodegas that: • Are close to schools, Women, Infant and Children (WIC) centers, day care centers and other community sites • Show interest in working with the initiative Participating stores agree to:

As a result, shop owners reported increased sales of healthier products. A survey showed that the percentage of customers buying healthier food options such as lowsodium canned goods, low-fat milk, whole-grain bread, healthier snacks and sandwiches increased from 5% to 16%.

• Stock and sell a variety of wholesome foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain products and low-fat and fat-free milk • Display nutritious foods prominently in their store

Move to Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

• Label and promote healthful items

During the Move to Fresh Fruits and Vegetables campaign, the Health Department worked with 520 bodegas in Harlem, the South Bronx and North Moooove to 1% Milk and Central Brooklyn to increase the availability, quality and variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. To kick off the Healthy Bodegas Initiative, the

Key Activities Activities

They are And

1 cup whole milk

1 cup 1% milk

high in the good stuff: low in:

Health Department enlisted bodegas in Harlem, Department provided marketing the South Bronx and NorthHealth and Central Brooklyn staff Your Heart and Your Waistline 5 materials, assistance andWill training, Thank You to stock and actively promote 1% milk.technical The 1% Milk Tastes Good Moooove to 1% Milk campaign started withowners improve s )N TASTE TESTS layouts OUT OF PEOPLE LIKE and MILK food helping store s -OST PEOPLE TELL THE DIFFERENCE FROM WHOLE MILK Move toCANNOTFresh Fruits and Vegetables 15 bodegas and expanded displays, to more than 1,000. and connecting1%them with Milk is Better for local You s MILK HAS ALL THE NUTRITION OF WHOLE MILK – During theFAT Move to Fresh Fruits and Vegetables without THE EXTRA AND CALORIES such markets. distributors, to carry more 1% as farmers’ Participating bodegas agreed s !FTER AGE OR LESS IS BEST campaign, Department workedto with 520 • Store owners stock what people buy. Therefore, community buy-in the andHealth support are essential milk, display posters promoting low-fat milk and New York City Department Health and Mental Hygiene inTheHarlem, theofSouth Bronx and North in local schools, day care centers help sustaindistribute healthy health changes. The Health Departmentbodegas also conducted outreach and education information to customers. and Central Brooklyn to increase the availability, are high in the good stuff: and WIC centers raise awareness about the campaign and promote They healthy eating. • Healthy corner store initiatives require a variety ofto approaches that can be tailored to each quality and variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. And low in: During the campaign, Health Department staff paid several visits to each bodega: an initial visit to s

Sell 1% Milk

CALORIES s GRAMS SATURATED FAT GRAMS TOTAL FAT

s CALORIES s GRAMS SATURATED FAT

s GRAMS TOTAL FAT

What We’ve Learned

Introduce Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Health

To order, call 311. Keyword: postcard

store’s readiness. Forstore’s example, a store that milk, largely carriespromotional prepackaged foodsand and non-perishables assess the supply of low-fat distribute materials educate owners about the Health Department staff provided marketing may start byhealth stocking low-sodium goods, while visits one that already offers some fresh produce Results benefits of 1% milk;canned and several follow-up to answer questions, monitor progress and materials, technical assistance and training, Department of with any implementation of53% healthy foods, such as grab-and-go fruit salad. may start byhelp offering a broader variety•challenges. of participating bodegas started stocking a wider variety of fruits and vegetables. helping store owners improve layouts and food

Key take-aways A multi-pronged process for supporting crucial amenities like corner stores! Promote healthier products in a setting people are familiar with and trust! Link corner stores to farms and producers for sustainability!

HPD1X25911–3.08

The initiative implemented five main activities in Bodegas. Low-fat milk kicked off the project, starting with 15 bodegas and expanding to more than 1,000 throughout the project. The second step was to stock and promote fresh fruits and vegetables. This was followed by the Star Bodegas program, which promoted a

Health & Mental

Center for Economic

• 46% started carrying more fruits andworkshops vegetables. displays, and connecting them with • Store owners often needdemand trainingforand technical support, To help increase low-fat milk, staff members also held nutrition andlocal low-fat milk Hygiene Opportunity such as farmers’ markets. distributors, more customers bought fruit. • 32%forms of stores reported taste tests atmaterials communityand organizations, health schools and health fairs. as well as marketing other ofcenters, Michael R. Bloomberg Thomas Farley, MD, MPH Veronica M. White Mayor Commissioner Executive Director • 26% reported more customers bought vegetables. promotional support. Examples include: The Health Department also conducted outreach and education in local schools, day care centers

Star Bodegas program Results

- Assistance in connecting owners with local farmers and other andmilk WICfor centers to time. raise awareness about the campaign and promote healthy eating. • 21% of participating bodegas started carrying low-fat the first suppliers of healthful foodsan increase in low-fat milk sales. • 45% reported

Star Bodegas

4 5

Results - Information and training on reported how to purchase, and store • 70% of stores an increase price in demand for low-fat milk. • 53% of participating bodegas stocking fresh produce In 2008, the Health Department built on lessons fromstarted the 1% milka wider variety of fruits and vegetables.

Adopt-a-Bodega

• 46% started carrying more fruits and vegetables.

- Assistance in improving store layout, shelf space andfruits displays campaign and the and vegetables campaign to launch the • 32% of stores reported more customers bought fruit. food program. in high-traffic for healthful foods, such as placing healthy Star Bodegas The program works selectbought bodegas – • 26% reported morewith customers vegetables. areas and replacing makeshift cardboard boxes with new shelves star bodegas – to offer and promote a range of nutritious foods, to better showcase fresh producesuch as fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat milk, low-calorie drinks,

Star Bodegas - Advertising and promotional materials, asbread, shelf signs, wholesuch grain low-sodium canned vegetables and soup, and In 2008, the Health Department built on lessons from the 1% milk posters, flyers and giveaways likeunsweetened reusable tote bags for fruit canned or fruit canned in its own juice. Star campaign and the fruits and vegetables campaign to launch the customers who buy fresh producebodegas are also encouraged to offer healthy breakfasts and

Farm-to-Bodega

Star Bodegas program. The program works with select bodegas –

- In-store cooking demonstrations and taste including tests, or samples lunches freshstar fruitbodegas and water or low-fat milk,aas well – to offer and promote range of nutritious foods, of healthful foods with nutritional as information healthier snacks, such asasunsalted nuts low-fatlow-fat yogurt. fresh fruits and and vegetables, milk, low-calorie drinks, such whole grain bread, low-sodium canned vegetables and soup, and

To help bring people into the stores,canned familiarize with new foods unsweetened fruit orthem fruit canned in its healthy own juice. Star and help customers understand how these foods can to their health, Health Department staff partnered with bodegas arecontribute also encouraged to offer healthy breakfasts and including fresh fruit and water or low-fat milk, as well a local non-profit to hostlunches cooking demonstrations and provide nutrition information to customers and Going forward, the Healthy Bodegas Initiative plans to: healthier snacks, such apply as unsalted nuts andto low-fat yogurt.produce in front of stores. people passing by. Staffasalso helped owners for licenses sell fresh

On the Horizon

healthy target neighborhoods • Recruit additional star bodegas to help increase the availabilityToofhelp bring foods peopleininto the stores, familiarize them with new healthy foods and help customers understand how theseto foods contribute to their health, Health Department staff partnered with • Host additional cooking demonstrations at stores and community organizations helpcan improve sales Results a local non-profit to host cooking demonstrations and provide nutrition information to customers and and build community support Among the initial 55 star bodegas:

people passing by. Staff also helped owners apply for licenses to sell fresh produce in front of stores.

• Expand healthy food offerings, such as• breakfast and lunch specials and snacks, in bodegas 95% of stores were offering low-sodium and reduced-sugar canned goods. near schools • 55% started carrying Results sandwiches that are more nutritious.

78% reported thatsuppliers more customers buying healthier foods. Among initialwere 55 star bodegas: • Continue connecting owners with local• farmers and other ofthe healthy foods

• 95% of stores were offering low-sodium and reduced-sugar canned goods.

Improve the surrounding environment where people buy and eat food

Bring great nutritious food to where people spend the most time

HIGH DENSITY

High Density Varied Food Offer Focus on creating a positive food environment and making the healthy choice the easy choice

1 2 CITY-WIDE DENSITY

Our pilot projects are guided by two simple strategies. We see these strategies as the main directives for nudging people towards healthier food behaviors in their communities.

High Density Food Desert Focus on increasing access to healthy food and improving the mobility experience

Penrose Playground

Mobile Grocer

2 Small Business Grant

Low Density Food Desert Focus on increasing access to healthy food and creating a positive food environment

Low Density Varied Food Offer Focus on improving mobility and investing in a dignified public realm

LOW DENSITY

Diagnosing interventions for PCK’s community

LACK OF FRESH FOOD

NEIGHBORHOOD FOOD DIVERSITY & DENSITY

VARIED & HEALTHY OFFER

Getting Started Three pilot projects for rapid change that can lead to lasting impact

FRESH FOOD TRUCK

Penrose Playground Improvements

Mobile Grocer & Connected Logistics System

— Boost an already well used public space with needed seating options — Provide ways to eat together publicly in groups, addressing social isolation — Invite a diverse set of age groups to spend time — Introduce healthy and affordable food options where people are — Break down stigmas around lingering in public space

— Provide healthy food options where there is already a critical mass of people — A consistent route to integrate food into people’s everyday lives — Offer subsidized fresh produce and prepared meals — Encourage more independence in the local food system — Help PCK & other local distribution agencies gain more visibility

Food Hub-in-a-Box

— Incubate new businesses in churches or other civic spaces with kitchen space — Add to the PCK curriculum a pathway to new jobs with financial support — Introduce pop-up food businesses onto important commercial corridors with vacant spaces — Bridge new food offerings to needed civic amenities

THE PLAYERS

• Penrose Playground Managers • Parks and Recreation • Department of Public Health • LISC Community Connectors • LISC Vibrant Spaces • Local Council Person

METRICS OF SUCCESS Pen Rose playground today

A vision for Pen Rose playground tomorrow

• Increase in new businesses within the community • Increase in jobs and skills for PCK graduates • Increase in perceived safety due to revitalization of key corridors • Increase in the purchasing of healthy prepared meals

PATHWAY TO LASTING IMPACT Rapid Change

Co-design of the kit of parts with local stakeholders and community leaders Engage a community coalition to set goals and a success criteria for this public space and food offering

GETTING IT DONE

This is about taking good to great. Many people already spend time at Penrose Playground — particularly families and teens. Pair simple and quality public realm improvements with nutritious food offerings on a schedule for a well integrated and enjoyable food environment.

KIT OF PARTS • Group Seating • Umbrellas & Shade • Grills • Lighting • Food truck that provides a nutritious, affordable meal

Identify co-funding and source materials Implement & host a kick-off event, introducing Philabundance to the neighborhood Host a walk-shop with city officials and funders to advocate for additional investment in the public realm

SCALING UP

Penrose Playground Improvements

IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE

Evaluate impact of public space improvements and food offering with intercept surveys & public life study Evaluate successes for scaling to other neighborhood public spaces Create food densification plan for the neighborhood

Lasting Impact

Scale up to other public spaces

Key Healthy Foodscape Strategies Densify the food offering Design a food environment that is enjoyable for all Maintain a dignified public realm

Penrose Playground Improvements

Penrose is a great community meeting place, ideally suited for supporting a food culture people want to have access to. A

Provide a comfortable place to spend time Penrose Playground is offering a lot to active users like places to play for all ages. But it is lacking the simple infrastructure for people to gather and stay for longer periods of time Enjoy meals together Everyone we spoke to values big, shared meals but they are lacking spaces to do so. Light touches like group seating and grills will reinforce these positive food behaviors Build trust with the community This is an opportunity for Philabundance to be visible to the community and become a trusted resource and ally - while also setting the stage for positive interactions in the community

Before

Group Seating Encourage social dining and gathering Lean Comfort Caretakers are standing on the edge here. Make them comfortable with a simple wooden extension to the fence.

Movable seating Allow caretakers to easily watch their children & socialize

Community center

Shade & Lighting Invite people to stay longer with simple environmental comforts

Food Truck Provide people with a nutritious and affordable prepared food option

Grills Allow people to cook with their friends and family

PENROSE PLAYGROUND IMPROVEMENTS

Be conscious of the micro-climate. Provide shade in warm months

Ask local food trucks to participate in events & provide a nutritious meal

Consider some lightweight, movable seats to allow people to make their social gathering spaces

Ensure grills & basic cooking equipment is present and maintained

• Refrigerated mobile grocery vendor • Coordinated effort with local food distribution organizations • Carefully designed schedule and route • Playful exterior, designed with the community

Rapid Change

GETTING IT DONE

A mobile grocery vendor that meets people where they are with healthy food products. This is a refrigerated truck that provides groceries from surrounding food distribution agencies and prepared food from Philabundance. The mobile market is coupled with a logistics network that focuses on syncing up existing food distribution systems to make the existing offers more visible and reduce redundancies.

KIT OF PARTS

PATHWAY TO LASTING IMPACT

THE PLAYERS • • • • • •

Urban Creators Food Connect Village of Arts and Humanities APM Department of Public Health Philadelphia Food Policy Advisory Council Food & Health Subcommittee • Health Design Lab - Jefferson

METRICS OF SUCCESS

What can a mobile gr ocery store be for a comm unity?

• Increase in purchases of fresh produce and healthy prepared meals • Increase in the feeling of belonging and support from Philabundance Community Kitchen • Graduates from PCK holding new jobs and skills • A larger and strengthened logistics network for emergency food provision

Identify partners for co-funding, source the infrastructure needed Coordinate with food distribution in the neighborhood to create a schedule that builds on existing efforts & makes food more visible to people Create a schedule and route designed based on where people already spend time and live Clearly communicate route and schedule to the public, host quarterly events Train dietitians and PCK graduates to staff the vendor for an educational component

SCALING UP

Mobile Market + Connected Logistics Network

IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE

Lasting Impact

Introduce additional trucks to the fleet to cover new neighborhoods and expand reach Measure success and feedback by tracking foot traffic and sales, target conversations with users, and communicate success stories to potential grocers Create the demand and case for a new grocery store more central to the community using data and human stories Key Healthy Foodscape Strategies Densify the food offering Increase healthy food access

! The walk home presents them with fried food & processed snacks. She’d rather not choose these options but they’d save her time.

Mobile Market + Connected Logistics Network

Anita is a committed caregiver. She goes out of her way to make sure her family eats well. She told us it’s challenging to balance work and finding fresh food that is affordable. We want to make it just a little bit easier for her to access healthy food.

DELI

DELI to get her CRISY + FRIED Anita needs kids from school, buy TAKEOUT ONLY groceries, and cook something before starting her night shift.

DELI

CRISY + FRIED TAKEOUT DELI

DELI

ONLY

FRESH FOO DELI VAC ANT

DELI

FRESH FOOD TRUCK

Eating healthy costs time We can help save people time, and tap into the need for convenience CRISY + FRIED by bringing good products where people are often V moving through TAKEOUT A

ONLY

FRESH FOOD TRUCK

DELI

Syncing up systems Many organizations are working hard to solve local food insecurity, but working in silos. This can begin to close the gap, and create a unified approach to neighborhood based solutions

BROAD STREET M

BROWN RICE BROWN RICE

TAKEOUT ONLY

CAN T

Making healthy options visible This pilot can help this community reclaim its streets from processed food advertisements and showcase a new kind of food offering

CRISY + FRIED

HOW TO — RICE A WITH ND BEAN C GREE OLLARD S NS

VAC ANT

FRESH FOOD TRUCK

At their subway stop, she sees the produce truck, they stop to see what is on offer.

HOW T RICE O — A WITH ND BEAN C GREE OLLARD S NS

Anita and her family buy produce and staple dry goods to cook a family favorite & take a recipe card for her son to learn how to put meals together.

HOW

TO —

VAC AN CRISY + FRIED T

TAKEO ONLY

VAC ANT

CRISY + FRIED TAKEOUT ONLY

FRESH FOOD TRUCK

CRISY

MOBILE MARKET + CONNECTED LOGISTICS NETWORK The look and feel of the bus should be determined by community members

Food should be visually accessible to people

The route is determined by public life data, health data & residential density

KIT OF PARTS

• Small business loan • The kitchen-in-a-box • Under leveraged storefronts,lots, and civic amenities • A nutritious and familiar food offering • Comfortable environment • Recipe cards and light educational touches

Rapid Change

• APM • Infill Philadelphia - Community Design Collaborative • Developers with equity focus • LISC Economic Development & Vibrant Spaces program • IMPACT loan program

Integrate a new business start up activity for PCK graduates Identify partners for co-funding & real estate strategy to leverage underutilized and vacant storefronts

THE PLAYERS

METRICS OF SUCCESS

A pop-up food hub ca n be more than just a place to grab a meal.

PATHWAY TO LASTING IMPACT

IMPLEMENTATION

A small business loan that lowers the barrier to entrepreneurship for Philabundance Community Kitchen graduates and creates a neighborhood asset for community members— Food Hub in a Box is focused on reinvestment in the community and pathways to entrepreneurship. The pilot entails establishing a revolving loan program with certain requirements for the location, the food offering, and the environment of the business to ensure it is diversifying the food offering & creating a more enjoyable food environment for the neighborhood.

Put out call for loan recipient(s) and co-create menu, food place identity, and business model Rent retail space(s) as a pop-up for 1 year to incubate new businesses, schedule review sessions to track success Partner with other corridor revitalization networks to plan holistic rental strategy

SCALING UP

Food Hub in a Box

IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE

Lasting Impact

Assist loan recipients in navigating more permanent leases and locations The community is reclaiming vacant spaces with new life and community-owned businesses A new innovative model for community development through new businesses in the food industry

Key Healthy Foodscape Strategies Increase healthy food access Diversify the food offering Maintain a dignified public realm

Food Hub In A Box — Small Business Grant Program

We want to support new local food businesses start up while breathing new life onto commercial corridors and providing a unique civic amenity. A

Opportunities for entrepreneurship Help PCK graduates start their journey into small business ownership with the right tools by ensuring economic stability and training. Reinvesting in the community Corridor revitalization is already happening, but not through the food industry. Bring a new food security lens into the community through a diversity of the food offering available. Creating safe community spaces Partner with organizations on common goals to create a safe environment. Programs that are visible and coordinated with stewardship and maintenance agencies have larger, systemic impacts.

Location

VACANT

BROAD STREET M

VAC ANT

Where people already spend time or live

Vacant store fronts that are in close connection with other food places

Vacant lots that fill a gap in the food network

Food Offer MENU HEALTHY + SOULFUL

Philabundance advises menu and offering

Food is a combination of the food people want, with the nutrients that they need

Environment NEIGHBORHOOD HAPPENINGS

OPEN Open 8-12 hours a day, charging and wifi available

Community resource board with educational pieces like recipe cards

Comfortable furnishings that are easy for varied group sizes to gather

Taking each pilot forward Things to consider 1. Funding and co-sponsorship 2. Community involvement and gaining trust 3. Aligning Ending Hunger for Good and the City’s agendas 4. Logistics and overall capacity

Penrose Playground

Mobile Grocer

What we’ve learned

This concept is going to really anchor PCK in the community, and will be straight forward to implement. It is a public realm improvement & programming project. You will need to go through City permitting processes, and bring on some favorite local vendors to make it work.

This idea has the most enthusiasm. It could lead to systemic change for the community’s ability to feel positively about the food scape and have access to fresh food offerings. Many local organizations have expressed interest in partnering and there are existing business models to follow.

Many local organizations and actors want to see sustainable economic investment and support in local businesses. This concept is merging two important factors - food provision and new business support. There are questions to answer regarding permitting and acquiring property but the Food Policy Council and APM have already offered support in this.

Primary Champions

Stakeholder

Already contacted?

Park manager Parks and Rec Dept Public Health Dept LISC Local Council person Food Fit Philly Community members

Key champion — expressed interest in being apart of the process

Stakeholder

Urban Creators Food Connect Health Design Lab Public Health Dept Food Policy Council Village of Arts and Humanities APM

Food Hub in a Box

Already contacted?

What we’ve learned

Stakeholder

APM LISC Infill Philadelphia Dept of Planning & Development IMPACT loan program Village of Arts and Humanities Food Policy Council

Already contacted?

Action Plan Month 2

Month 1

Month 3

Month 4

Month 5

Month 6

Identify co-funding & collaborators Engage community coalition Solicit artists proposals

Penrose Playground

Co-design the kit of parts Curate vendors to use the space Install furniture Kick off event

Kick off with a visible project in a well used public place where people are

Develop communication plan

Online / social media communication campaign throughout

Coordinate maintenance

Gather feedback from & users

Walkshop: locals + stakeholders

User Feedback Workshop

Food-Hub-in-a-Box Food Hub in a Box

Mobile Grocer

Identify local operations partners & business model

Apply lessons learned from Penrose to more complex pilots

Aligning with other corridor revitalization work may take time - start with dialogue around property procurement

Solicit artists proposals

Combine community health initiatives with vaccine distribution

Identify permitting, logistics and route design

Begin conversations with corridor revitalization groups to identify potential pop-up locations Plan curriculum with PCK

Month 7

Month 8

Month 9

Month 10

Month 11

Month 12

Penrose Playground

Use the same methodology to collect human stories & data for needed evidence for scaling

Refine dining area, food offering, & furniture Scaling plan for other parks

Use this vendor to engage in meaningful conversations with locals

Invite vendors to participate

Mobile Grocer

Paint mobile vendor w community Procure and build out mobile vendor Stock vendor and launch! Event: Launch the truck with a community event Running of the vendor

Food hub in a box

Evaluate route & sales Continue to provide support for the new business during the rental and opening phase

Plan curriculum with PCK Identify loan recipient Develop menu, site plan, logistics, etc.

Rent and set up new space

Event: Launch the new space with a welcoming event! Open up new vendor Evaluation

Gehl