Using GIS to Develop Policies that Address Social Justice Issues for Inclusion in the General Plan – City of Delano Case Study

The City of Delano, population 53,000, is a culturally diverse city located in the Southern San Joaquin Valley of California. The City is 70 percent Hispanic. Employment is predominately agriculture. The City faces many challenges that have adverse health consequences: An unemployment rate of 34 percent, Median Family Income is only 55 percent of the US Median, Over 50 percent of our youth are overweight, Over 55 percent of persons over 18 have less than a high school education. These factors are linked to the Health Determinates identified by the US Health and Human Services (2001).

In addressing these challenges, the City of Delano believes that there is a close correlation between the quality of the Built Environment and Public Health. As a result, the City initiated an update to its General Plan to develop a Healthy Community Element that includes policies and programs addressing Health and Social Inequalities. An important focus of the element is to support active living and access to fresh foods.

GIS is being used to develop information-based policies for the Healthy Community Element. Examples include: Access to Parks, Access to Medical Care, Pedestrian Safety, Complete Streets and Neighborhood Connectivity, Crime, Location of stores that sell alcohol and tobacco products with respect to park and school locations, and Location of food outlets. An important outcome of the GIS work has resulted in the City receiving an Environmental Justice Grant from the California Department of Transportation to address pedestrian and public transit issues in Southwest Delano.