Impacts of food accessibility and built environment on on-demand food delivery usage

Abstract

On-demand food delivery (ODFD) services now produce many motorised trips in Chinese cities that raises environmental concerns. It is therefore crucial to understand where people use ODFD and what factors influence their usage. This paper explores the spatial patterns and determinants of ODFD usage in Shenzhen, China, focusing on the roles of food accessibility and the built environment. The results show that ODFD usage concentrates in more urbanised areas, especially city centres and sub-centres. Furthermore, more ODFD orders are generated in areas with lower food accessibility by walking and higher food accessibility by cycling, as well as in areas with higher population density, lower point of interest (POI) density, lower intersection density, higher street density, higher land use mix, higher percentage of land used for urban residences and commerce, and lower percentage of land used for rural residences, industries, and green space. These findings provide evidence-based implications for ODFD regulation.