Design professionals advise on improving access to healthy food

Some underused areas of the city are getting a makeover from design professionals. The Community Design Collaborative provides community groups with free design services from a network of hundreds of local architects, planners, and design professionals. Community leaders looking to improve food access in low and moderate income neighborhoods applied for help from the pros.

Some underused areas of the city are getting a makeover from design professionals. The Community Design Collaborative provides community groups with free design services from a network of hundreds of local architects, planners, and design professionals. Community leaders looking to improve food access in low and moderate income neighborhoods applied for help from the pros. WHYY’s Elizabeth Fiedler reports.

Transcript:
A food co-op in Chester wondered how to turn a former furniture store into its new home. North Philadelphians near 31st and Girard wanted to attract a supermarket to an oddly-shaped plot of land. And the Mt. Airy-based Weaver’s Way Food Co-op wanted to expand its’ satellite store.

Community Design Collaborative Executive Director Beth Miller says the design professionals didn’t swoop in and tell community members what they should do.

Miller: “The community residents and the community organizations have a lot to say, they know best about what’s going on in their neighborhoods and they should be at the table at any early stage. And the designers are actually in a supporting role to kind of put their vision down on paper.”

Tonight teams will unveil the professional design plans that may give the community members a better shot at attract funding and developers to their neighborhoods.

More information:
Infill Philadelphia: Food Access

Listen:
Click on the play button below or right click on this link and choose “Save Link As” to download. [audio: reports20090225food.mp3]