Puerto Rican Cultural Center GEO242: GISII Dr. Hwang Nov. 16, 2010 Chad Stutsman Kaitlin Beer Edward Kulack Spatial Representation of Humboldt Park Community &Nutritional Assets2 Table of Contents Table of Contents ............................................................................................................ 2 Project Summary ............................................................................................................. 3 Needs Assessment ........................................................................................................... 4 System Requirements ...................................................................................................... 7 Data Acquisition.............................................................................................................. 9 Data Analysis ................................................................................................................ 13 Results .......................................................................................................................... 15 Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations ............................................................. 15 Appendix A ................................................................................................................... 18 Appendix B ................................................................................................................... 19 Appendix C ................................................................................................................... 20 Appendix D ................................................................................................................... 21 Appendix E ................................................................................................................... 22 Appendix F ................................................................................................................... 23 Works Cited .................................................................................................................. 243 Project Summary 1. Objective For our GIS II group project we selected to partner with the Puerto Rican Cultural Center (PRCC), a community organization dedicated to serving the social, cultural, and health needs of the Puerto Rican and Latino community in Humboldt Park. Our project is a continuation of the previous GIS II projects. Accommodating the needs and wishes of the PRCC we began by expanding the previous group’s dataset by adding in more restaurants, grocers, and community assets. This information was embedded into google earth to increase its accessibility of the Humboldt Park residents. After researching the PRCC current programs and planned programs it’s was decided that nutritional health would be a focus of our project. Programs like the Block-by-Block research initiative will conduct a statistical analysis of obesity and diabetes within the Humboldt Park community. In the hopes to assists in this project and future PRCC community projects this group enacted a research project of the produce availability provided by Humboldt Park restaurants and grocers. 2. Methods The focus of this part of our research project focused Humboldt Park grocers and restaurants. This group’s research began by collecting menus and engaging in onsite stock evaluations this group identified which specific restaurants and grocer had healthy options, in the form of produce, and which did not. Next, this group than conducted a ‘network analysis’ to establish the service area of each grocer and restaurant within the Humboldt Park community. Service area was defined as a ten minute walking distance around each entity. This data collection was used to produce four maps that show grocers and restaurants with no produce options had a larger service area than those food merchants with produce options. Overall the maps show that residence within the Humboldt Park community have easier access to unhealthy foods than healthy foods. Perhaps these spatial barriers are a contributed factor to the high levels of childhood obesity and diabetes found within the Humboldt Park community.4 Needs Assessment 1. Background Founded in 1973 the Puerto Rican Cultural Center (PRCC) has worked to serve the social, cultural, and health needs of the Puerto Rican and Latino community within and around the Humboldt Park neighborhood. Specifically, the PRCC’s mission statement is to serve and preserve the social/cultural needs of Humboldt Park and the Puerto Rican community that resides there. The PRCC and its partners have developed comprehensive programs and networks in the community using very little funding, social capital, and its volunteers to develop the community into a successful and culturally defined area to live in. In 2004, the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children (CLOCC) conducted surveys that found 60 percent of children in Humboldt Park and West Town are obese.1 In addition, recent studies have a shown that 21 percent of Puerto Ricans living in Humboldt Park and West Town have diabetes.2 Academic research and literature has shown that the high levels of obesity and diabetes within Humboldt Park’s are associated with economic, cultural, and spatial barriers to healthy diets. In regards to cultural barriers, Putnik and Pérez-Escamilla conducted a statistical analysis of sub-ethnic groups amongst Latinos; a group already identified with high levels of obesity and diabetes.3 Their article found that “among Latino’s in the US Puerto Ricans has the highest prevalence of type 2 diabetes.”4 The authors believe their results are caused by financial constraints and poor dietary intake attitruted to cultural foods that are high in fat and sugars. In regards to socio-economic levels Horowithz, Williams and Bickell’s article highlights common financial barriers that prevent healthy lifestyles within impoverished communities. The authors point out that impoverished communities lack access to insurance, medical resources, and healthy diets as a result of financial constraints.5 Finally, there are also spatial barriers called ‘Food Deserts’ that inhibit a community’s access to produce. A food desert is defined as, “an urban areas with little or no access to nutritious food.”6 Often food desert exist because there are no food