Spatial Disparity of Neighborhood Food Environment by Socioeconomic Status: Application of Urban Network Analysis

Taekyung Seong and Sugie Lee ()
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Taekyung Seong: School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
Sugie Lee: Department of Urban Planning and Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 6, 1-13

Abstract: There is a large amount of academic research to date on food environments that has been widely conducted in Western countries. This is due to the high population density of Asian megacities, the advancement of public transportation systems, and the relatively low dependence on private vehicles, which has led to a lack of attention, relatively, to the surrounding food environments. Thus, this study aimed to analyze food environments at the neighborhood level by considering demographics, households, land use, and physical environmental factors in Seoul, South Korea. We employed urban network analysis methods to assess food access and availability in various neighborhoods. The primary findings indicate that Seoul’s food environment is significantly related to the elderly population, aging infrastructure, and proximity to public transportation. In particular, a higher concentration of elderly residents negatively affects food availability and access, irrespective of income level, potentially exacerbating social inequality based on income. Our findings identify various factors that contribute to spatial disparities in local food environments and provide policy implications to mitigate inequalities in neighborhood food environments.

Keywords: neighborhood built environment; food environment; food accessibility; food availability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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