Catherine Brinkley is a Professor of Human Ecology and Director
of the Center for Regional Change at UC Davis. With a PhD in city
and regional planning, a veterinary medical degree, and a masters
in virology, her research focuses on health and design; urban
planning; legacies of urban policy with regard to race and
income; and the long-term impacts of food, energy and water
infrastructure siting decisions.
In a recent study, we explored the dependencies between community food security and local food movements. We analyzed 2.97 million pounds of food-bank donations from 296 organizations, conducted network analysis of the local food system with 77 farms and 439 market connections, and carried out interviews with food-bank donors and staff.
In 2022, Yolo County Health and Human Services Agency(HHSA)
launched the Yolo County Basic Income (YOBI)project and engaged
the UC Davis Center for Regional Change to evaluate the project
via the collection of survey data from YOBI participants. The
YOBI project was designed to address the county’s poverty, which
is ~25%higher than the California rate reported in the 2021
Census.
Because of large acreages, sparse populations, and distinct sociopolitical dynamics, many rural communities are beginning to assemble their own sets of economic indicators to fit unique policy agendas. In a recent paper, we reviewed over thirty years of practical efforts from six regions that created economic development reports. These reports cover only 60 percent of non-metro counties in the US, with more than half having been issued in the last five years.
Disparities in access to healthy food can be partially alleviated by street-food vending. California’s 2018 Safe Sidewalk Vending Act mandates that ordinances cannot regulate street food vendors for reasons beyond public health concerns. In a recent study exploring the overlooked potential of street-food vending, we reviewed municipal ordinances for 58 counties and 213 cities in California. We found that the majority are out of compliance and will need to update regulations.
