Engaging diverse community stakeholders to co‐create solutions in food deserts: A design‐thinking approach

Abstract

Most households in the United States, regardless of income, do the majority of their grocery shopping at supermarkets. However, due to the consolidation of the supermarket industry and some neighborhoods not being able to economically sustain a supermarket, more and more households are struggling to conveniently access affordable, healthy food choices. This article describes a participatory design process used to engage a diverse set of stakeholders in the Indianapolis community to cocreate solutions that improve access to healthy and affordable food. Indianapolis offers an insightful context, given that it was recently ranked the worst city in the United States for food deserts. Our results not only demonstrate the value of using a design‐thinking approach in addressing food access issues but also offer unique insight into the problem of food access itself.