Rideshare discount gives seniors in Wards 7 and 8 temporary relief in a food desert | Washington Post

On April 24, 2019, D.C. Policy Center Fellow Randy Smith’s analysis of food deserts in D.C. was cited by the Washington Post:

A 2017 study by the D.C. Policy Center found that 80 percent of food deserts in the District — where residents do not have easy access to groceries — were in Wards 7 and 8 in Southeast.

The study defined food deserts as areas with no grocery stores in walking distance, where most people do not have cars, and the median income is too low to be able to afford alternatives like Lyft or Uber. There are no such areas in wealthier Ward 3 in Northwest and only one in Ward 2.

Read more: Rideshare discount gives seniors in Wards 7 and 8 temporary relief in a food desert | Washington Post

Related: Food access in D.C is deeply connected to poverty and transportation | D.C. Policy Center