Article
Using participatory and mixed-methods approaches in GIS to develop a Place-Based Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Index
Environment and Planning A
(2017)
Abstract
This paper discusses the development of a Place-Based Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Index (PFIVI), which incorporates six indicators and 30 variables. It also presents an application of this Index within the context of Philadelphia, a postindustrial U.S. city. The paper argues that in order to thoroughly measure a multidimensional socioeconomic problem that is tied to the built environment (e.g., food insecurity and vulnerability), the use of participatory and mixed-methods approaches in GIS (e.g., participatory GIS or PGIS) may produce more comprehensive results compared to other commonly used methods. This paper makes an intervention in the food environment literature, which tends to analyze food access in a narrow way, by applying a methodology conceptually grounded in community food security and operationalized through a PGIS project. It also contributes to still-evolving PGIS methodologies by directly engaging stakeholders in a complicated GIS-based analytical process.
Keywords
- Community food security,
- index building,
- PGIS,
- Philadelphia,
- urban food environment
Disciplines
Publication Date
January 9, 2017
DOI
10.1177/0308518X16686352
Citation Information
Mahbubur R. Meenar. "Using participatory and mixed-methods approaches in GIS to develop a Place-Based Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Index" Environment and Planning A Vol. 49 Iss. 5 (2017) p. 1181 - 1205 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/mahbubur-meenar/1/