Elderly Walking Access to Street Markets in Chile: An Asset for Food Security in an Unequal Country

Giovanni Vecchio (), Bryan Castillo, Rodrigo Villegas, Carolina Rojas Quezada (), Stefan Steiniger and Juan Antonio Carrasco
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Giovanni Vecchio: Instituto de Estudios Urbanos y Territoriales, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7520245, Chile
Bryan Castillo: Centro de Desarrollo Urbano Sustentable-Cedeus, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7520245, Chile
Rodrigo Villegas: Centro de Desarrollo Urbano Sustentable-Cedeus, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7520245, Chile
Carolina Rojas Quezada: Instituto de Estudios Urbanos y Territoriales, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7520245, Chile
Stefan Steiniger: Centro de Desarrollo Urbano Sustentable-Cedeus, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7520245, Chile
Juan Antonio Carrasco: Centro de Desarrollo Urbano Sustentable-Cedeus, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7520245, Chile

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 5, 1-18

Abstract: Street markets can contribute to food security, since they are a source of fresh food and comparably inexpensive goods, being very relevant for low-income groups. Their relevance is even higher when considering older people, due to their often-constrained financial resources and possibilities to move. To assess the potential contribution of street markets to food security, this paper aims at evaluating to what extent older people have access to such a relevant asset. We consider the case of Chile, an ageing country with an unequal pension system, which makes it relevant for older people to access healthy and inexpensive food. We analyze what proportion of older people (i.e., people over 65) has walking access within 10 min to a street market— feria libre —in each Chilean region, with particular detail in the country’s four major urban areas. We compare the resulting accessibility maps with census data to identify neighborhoods with higher proportions of older people and examine their socio-economic conditions. Our findings show that while street markets are less accessible to older people in comparison to the general population, the inhabitants who can access them belong mainly to low-income groups. The results provide relevant insights to develop neighborhood-based policies for spreading and strengthening street markets, especially in low-income areas with insufficient levels of access to other relevant urban opportunities.

Keywords: street markets; accessibility; walking; older people; food security (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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