Today the Mapping Group met to talk about mapping in community engagement. Additionally, we did an exercise in order to apply concepts that we learned. Through a democratic process, the group decided upon assessing the food environment in the near-work environment for WCH. We each took two pictures: one of a healthy food option and another of an unhealthy food option. We all had things to say about the difficulties of identifying what is healthy and not healthy and had a conversation about the complexities of policy development because of this phenomena. Every person has unique perceptions of what constitutes healthy and unhealthy in an environment, beautifully illustrating the difficulties of urban planning, built environment and policy and decision making. Here are a few examples:
Banzo's food cart
Hannah: I was looking forward to this place opening, but I don't like their falafel. Bunkies has the best falafel in Madison. I am disappointed with the falafel here.
John: It is convienent - when I was a student it was the easiest thing to do for lunch - to stop on the way to classes. If I wanted to get a smoothy it was an inexpensive choice.
Sara: The carts make me happy. I get to go outside. The banzo has a nice box you open up - craft made... craft-made pickles and good quality food. At the carts you get food that is real!
Laura: The carts are like a social experience and I look forward to them in the week.
John: On the white board there is a sugestion to go to the carts.
Kyle: When I go with Julie she points out the waste and it is hard for her to waste the materiels the packaging. She brings her own containers. I had no perception about this until I went with Julie.
Rob: In Detroit I went to a scocer game and there was a cart there and that was a sign that things are doing good. You need a certain client base in order to survive. It's a sign of prosperity.
John: Carts are a sign of spring.
Kyle: I have a problem with the carts and this exercise; I have a hard time knowing what is healthy or not. I don't know what is healthy or not healthy, so I have a problem with that.
Jen: I agree. Once, I had to pick a menu for a conference and I suggested a falafel and they said no because it was deep fried.
Sara: It's impossible to determine a measure for what is healthy. You have to go with what is mostly healthy.
Shirley: You can't get people to eat veggies that are boiled or steamed. They don't taste good.
Parthenon Gyros
Kyle: When I was a kid my dad worked for the university but we lived on the farm. We'd come to Madison on the weekend. I have memories of Parthenon Gyros as being one of my favorite places to go. It stuck with me. I have a strong connection to this place even though you cannot get anything healthy here.
Sara: This reminds me of where I grew up near MKE. There was a place named Copps Custard that reminds me of this.
Kyle: Where I lived we did not have fast food near us, so getting somehing like this was a novelty. It makes me feel nostalgic even now.
John: I like going here because it reminds me of this place I like in France.
CoffeeBytes Cafe
Suzanne: This is at CoffeeBytes. I go here when I want to get something SWEET! I mostly get rice crispy treats. It's my favorite sweet thing.
Jen: I like to go here to get something healthy. They have good sandwiches. I've never gotten sweets, but i'll get a latte.
Kyle: I don't get food here, I get tea (which I sometimes like as an afternoon snack) or coffee, not food.
Sara: I've gotten sweet things here, but i'm not happy with them so i'm less motivate to go down. Crapy sweets...
Rob: I've only been there once when we were out of coffee here and I got coffee.
Madison Fresh Market
Kyle: My eating habits for lunch are lazy. The fresh salad that I can customized is amazing. I used to work at DHS and we'd eat subs every day. On Wednesday in the summer we had the farmers market. Now that there is a place I can get salad every day in my building, it is amazing how much I eat that. Having that accessable to me I eat luch and I eat healty more often.
Sarah: I took the same picture because I worked on SHOW. I can't look at a restaurant and think it's healthy anymore. Even a salad you can make unhealthy, but you can pick a healthy option. It is the best choice we have close by.
Rob: I'm going here right after this is done.
Shirley: I like it, but it is expensive. I like having it avaliable.
Kyle: At DHS they introduced a salad bar, but it was too expensive. I didn't eat the salad at DHS ever.
Jen: I think it's cheap. Where I used to work I had a place like the Willy St. Coop. It was much more expensive than Fresh. Here it's cheap.
Shirley - If I want to buy fruit, it is expensive... the salad bar not so much. Fresh grocery type things.
Suzanne: This was the same picture I had for the healthy option. I've heard from a lot of students that this place changed their eating habits totally. I love that they have a delivery option for orders over $40 - making it accessible for people without cars. I love going here for kombucha, salads and humus with carrots. I eat healthy food from Fresh.
Our shared 'participatory' map
If you'd like to view this map, or ADD YOUR PICTURES AND PHOTOS to this map, you can go here: WCH Food Environment Assessment Map!
I coudn't come...who ever typed in the dialogue..thank you...for me it meant I could participate with out being there. Here is my question...photos elicited great dialogue..the map helps you to see patterns...but how did this end...did this influence anyone's behavior? Any recommendations for our office. I find myself asking...so what? and now what?
ReplyDeleteSuzanne, I can't edit the map. I can only view it.
ReplyDeleteSarah, try again -- I'll change the settings.
ReplyDeleteIn a real community setting, I would continue to collect data until I reach saturation. In the case of this food assessment, I would talk with everyone at WCH and add all their feedback. I would analyze the map (you are correct, the map reveals trends), narrative and photos and then I would compile recommendations and ask the group the question: who is in a position of power that should see these recommendations? Then the next phase begins - strategic communication with decision/policy makers (in other words, ACTION!)...
ReplyDeleteAnother observation: the food assessment for WCH, though it does have unhealthy food options, is rich with healthy food options. In this case, it might be a model for good food environment and the assessment could proved other work environments with feedback for what makes a healthy food environment at the work place... Our near work environment hold many assets in the area of food and eating.
ReplyDeleteThe "so what" for me is that this Map Jam taught me how to participatory photo mapping, and how to embed images in my Google Maps. Thanks Suzanne!
ReplyDelete