Responses to Economic & Social Challenges in Cities (College Board AP® Human Geography)

Food insecurity and a lack of affordable housing are two of the main challenges facing urban areas, often due to growing populations

Government policies and community-driven initiatives which attempt to address these issues include:

• inclusionary zoning

• local food movements

Inclusionary zoning is a type of urban planning which requires or incentivizes the inclusion of a certain percentage of affordable housing units in new residential projects

Inclusionary zoning attempts to address:

• shortages of affordable housing

• reduce economic segregation within cities

The benefits of inclusionary zoning include:

• the promotion of housing diversity, and therefore socio-economic diversity, in urban areas

• helping to ensure that lower-income individuals can access urban amenities and services

Inclusionary zoning sometimes faces resistance from developers and neighbors

• Housing developers believe it has an impact on their profit margins

The local food movement refers to efforts to increase access to fresh, locally produced food in urban areas

The movement focuses on food that is produced within a short distance of where it is consumed and so requires shorter supply chains

• The movement aims to address food deserts in lower-income areas while promoting healthier food consumption

• The local food movement includes the creation of:

  • urban farms

  • farmers’ markets

  • community-supported agriculture initiatives

The benefits include:

• improved access to fresh, nutritious food 

• more environmentally sustainable processes of food production and transportation

Difficulties encountered by the movement include:

• the high costs of land for urban farming

• the inability to produce enough food for large populations