People should be able to walk to their market. If we're zoning/allowing food markets in areas where people only can access them by car, then we're a) potentially creating additional/unnecessary traffic, and b) eliminating a very easy way for people to get physical activity. One way to assess the walkability surrounding markets is to use an assessment instrument developed by the Arizona Department of Transportation's Safe Routes To School Program called the Active School Neighborhood Checklist (ASNC) -- www.activeschoolchecklist.com. Although the instrument initially was developed to assess the walkability of school neighborhoods, it's flexible enough to assess other facilities, such as markets. The ASNC scores can help us assess such areas and prioritize improvements.
