Healthy Eating and More Shared use can also support healthy eating and broader efforts to create and sustain healthy communities. The problems of food access, obesity, hunger, and poor nutrition affect many communities. People who live in rural areas, people with low incomes, and people of color are more likely to have trouble accessing healthy foods.13–17 Together, the limited availability and high price of healthy food, limited resources and competing needs, and lack of access to infrastructure for cooking and storing food affect people’s access to an adequate supply of nutritious food.14, 18 Community gardens, farmers markets, mobile grocery and meals programs, and food pantries are all appropriate for shared use sites. These activities can improve food security for under-resourced populations by increasing the affordability, availability, and usability of healthy food. Similarly, shared use of kitchen facilities and cafeterias can provide a setting for healthy cooking programs and small business incubation. Shared use efforts in support of healthy eating can promote civic participation, food literacy, job skills, and urban greening. Creative shared use arrangements can also open up and activate spaces for many other activities that support community health, vitality, and cohesion, including health care, social services, health education and promotion programs, job training, and more. For example, in Brazos County, Texas, the local Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program has sited clinics at local churches that had available space. Efficient Use of Resources Shared use maximizes access to existing spaces and facilities, making it an efficient and economical use of resources. Expanding public use of existing facilities is usually less expensive than building new facilities. And when planning for construction of new facilities, it is more efficient to plan for multiple uses and purposes. In many communities, inadequate funding prevents or delays the development and maintenance of public facilities, including parks and recreational spaces. Shared use is not a comprehensive solution to address the significant disparities in access to recreational space. But shared use can be a practical, cost-efficient element of a larger strategy to increase recreational access and reduce health inequities. KEY RESOURCES QQ Benefits of Shared Use infographic QQ Fair Play: Advancing Health Equity through Shared Use QQ Dig, Eat, and Be Healthy: A Guide to Growing Food on Public Property QQ Neighborhoods and Districts Benefit from Expanded Access to School Kitchens (The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation) 8 Shared Use | changelabsolutions.org
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