The effect of the built environment on diet (and ensuing health outcomes) is less understood than the effect of diet on obesity. Natural experiments are increasingly advocated in place of cross-sectional studies unable to suggest causality. The central research question of this paper, therefore, asks whether a neighborhood-level food retail intervention will affect dietary habits or food security. The intervention did not have a significant impact on fruit and vegetable consumption, and the intervention population actually purchased prepared meals more frequently. More problematic, only 8% of respondents overall regularly consumed enough fruits and vegetables, and 34% were food insecure. Further complicating this public health issue, the new grocery store closed after 17 months of operation. Results indicate that geographic access to food is only one element of malnutrition, and that multi-pronged dietary interventions may be more effective. The economic failure of the store also suggests the importance of non-retail interventions to combat malnutrition.

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Policy-makers world-wide are concerned about severe housing problems experienced in cities of the developing world. This paper examines the rental housing situation in Accra, Ghana. It presents findings of a qualitative investigation of the experiences of property owners (n = 21) and tenants (n = 23) in an informal private housing market that caters to the housing needs of an expanding section of Accra residents but lacks an institutional framework for regulating landlord/lady-tenant relations. The specific focus of the investigation is on perceptions of an intensifying tenancy management practice called the advance rent system. Overall, the findings reveal severe rental housing pressures and conflicting relations between renters and property owners rooted in asymmetrical perceptions regarding this system. The paper describes the conditions that shape landlords/ladies' behaviours towards renters and their reactions to what are generally perceived as fraudulent tenure terms that property owners arbitrarily impose on tenants in this market. The paper concludes by suggesting policy recommendations to mitigate constraints plaguing a dysfunctional rental market system.

BackgroundTrends in food retailing associated with the consolidation of smaller-format retailers into fewer, larger-format supercentres have left some rural areas with fewer sources of nutritious, affordable food. Access to nutritious, affordable food is essential for good dietary habits and combating health issues such as type-2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. Many studies on food environments use inaccurate or incomplete methods for locating food retailers, which may be responsible for mischaracterising food deserts. This study uses databases of every residence in and every food retailer in and around Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada. Residences were geocoded to their precise address, and network analysis techniques were performed in a geographic information system (GIS) to determine distances between every residence and different types of food retailers (grocery stores, fast food, fruit and vegetable sources, grocery stores plus fruit and vegetable sources, variety stores), both when considering and neglecting facilities outside the area of study, to account for a deficiency in analysis termed the 'edge effect'.ResultsAnalysis of household accessibility to food outlets by neighbourhood socioeconomic distress level indicated that residents in the most distressed neighbourhoods tended to have better accessibility to all types of food retailers. In the most distressed neighbourhoods, 79 percent of residences were within walking distance of a grocery store, compared to only 10 percent in the least distressed neighbourhoods. When the edge effect was neglected, 37 percent of distance estimates proved inaccurate. Average accessibility to all food retailer types improved dramatically when food outlets adjacent to the study area were considered, thereby controlling for the edge effect.ConclusionBy neglecting to consider food retailers just outside study area boundaries, previous studies may significantly over-report the actual distance necessary to travel for food. Research on food access spanning large rural regions requires methods that accurately geocode residents and their food sources. By implementing methods akin to those in this paper, future research will be better able to identify areas with poor food accessibility. Improving identification of food desert communities is a first step in facilitating more effective deployment of food policies and programs in those communities.

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Studies have demonstrated links between the accessibility of food and multiple health outcomes. Policymakers engaged in local community development may use public health concerns as a strategy to procure funding for food retail initiatives. Few studies to date have demonstrated the impact that a new food retailer can have on geographic and economic access to nutritious food in a community, evidence which could support the case for new food retail. This paper examines the price and availability of food before and after the opening of two new grocery stores in a former food desert in Flint, Michigan. The results indicate a substantial improvement in both geographic and economic food accessibility, and show no statistical difference between prices at average grocery stores and the new stores. Discussion suggests that investment in poorer neighborhoods can be beneficial to the local population and the community at large by creating a local multiplier effect through increased spending in the community.

Place branding has become an increasingly integral part of local and regional economic development strategies in the global competition for business investment. Professional and academic understanding remains limited, however, regarding whether place branding can be classified as a 'high-road' policy with substantive and effective merits or a 'low-road' policy that is generally inefficient and ineffective at fostering sustainable economic growth. Through the context of business attraction, this study examines whether place branding represents 'high-road' policy by comparing what economic development practitioners are doing to create and support their brands against the needs and desires of businesses considering relocation. The research goal is achieved through a series of in-depth interviews with economic development practitioners (n = 25) and private-sector site selectors (n = 10) in the province of Ontario, Canada. Gaps between policy and practicality are identified by comparing the responses of the two groups. Results demonstrate that place branding has the potential to be 'high-road' policy given its utility in business attraction. In its current implementation, however, place branding remains better described as a 'lowroad' policy, as it is not being used efficiently. Several gaps in place-branding policy are identified, including an overreliance on visual identities and narratives, poor communication of the brand information, and overemphasis on presenting quality of life and affordability. These gaps present possible areas of ineffectiveness that can limit the ability of a place brand to attract investment, but provide areas of future policy improvements, thus enabling place branding to shift from 'low road' to 'high road'.

This article reports on a study that explored economic development practitioners’ perceptions of competition and cooperation in economic development. The study was conducted against the backdrop of (1) an increasing advocacy by scholars and policymakers for cooperative policy practices in economic development instead of competition and (2) the restrictive institutional environment within which practitioners operate in Ontario. The analysis in the paper is based on in‐depth interviews with eighteen economic development directors from a wide range of communities in the province of Ontario, Canada. Findings indicate that practitioners had a strong positive view of regional approaches in the present global economy. These findings contrast sharply with prior studies suggesting that practitioners are unwilling to cooperate in regional economic development. The study offers several possible reasons for a change in thinking. Practitioners also supported restricting financial incentives to businesses in Ontario, arguing that restrictions provide a more even environment for economic development activities in the province. Interestingly, practitioners’ support appears to contradict doubts about the global competitiveness of Ontario communities in such a restrictive environment. In light of practitioners’ positive cooperative attitudes, study findings suggest areas for policy interventions to enhance practical cooperative policy making.