inventory and analyses (cont’d) Supermarket Convenience store 1/2 mile radius high density residential med. density residential low density residential commercial institution C
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1 mi
2 mi
deNSity & Grocery StoreS
22
Feed NorthamptoN invenTOry and analyses
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TIC
UT RIVE R
4 mi
Northampton’s population (2010) is 29,600. Just under 90% of all Northampton residents (approximately 25,000) live in the urban core and the two incorporated villages. In general the building pattern there is denser than anywhere else in Northampton, with mixed-use buildings, multi-family units, and small lots. The next most populated areas are the suburban neighborhoods built after 1950. Only 7% of all residents (approximately 2,000) live in the suburbs, where there are mostly single-family homes with lot sizes ranging from one-quarter acre to more than 2 acres. Approximately 1,200 residents (4%) live in the rural areas in single-family dwellings with a wide range of lot sizes. The Meadows is home to less than 1% of all residents. All of the supermarkets in Northampton are located in
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the urban area. A half-mile radius around each supermarket represents the maximum distance the average person is comfortable walking to buy groceries. Most of Northampton does not fall within these half-mile radii. Spread more evenly throughout the city are convenience stores, but these tend to sell less healthy food than supermarkets and to charge more. Northampton’s population eats an estimated minimum of 59.2 million calories every day. Based on population, 50 million calories are consumed in the urban core; 4 million calories in the suburbs; 2.4 million calories in the rural area; and 0.4 million calories in the agricultural Meadows. Areas with the largest populations have the greatest demand for food, but these places will have difficulty growing the food they need because there is less open land. In contrast, areas with a lower population have more open land that may be possible to cultivate far more food than that the immediate residents can eat.