Spatial drivers and effects of urban food accessibility: Comparison of conventional and online-to-offline services

Abstract

Nowadays, online-to-offline food delivery services have grown rapidly. However, the factors determining the spatial distribution of online-to-offline food delivery restaurants (O2O-FDR) and the effects (e.g., dietary health) they cause are poorly understood. This study explored the differences in spatial patterns and influencing factors between O2O-FDR and conventional restaurants (CR) accessibility in Nanjing, as well as the driving mechanisms for the food environment. The results show that (1) O2O-FDR accessibility and CR accessibility both have a centrally distributed pattern, while O2O-FDR accessibility is smaller and more dispersed. (2) O2O-FDR shows a clear economic orientation, with the regional economy (q = 0.48) having the strongest influence and interacting with the factor of distance to commercial center to influence 61% of the spatial distribution; while the distance to commercial centers is the dominant factor for CR accessibility (q = 0.53), and its interaction with the regional economy was the strongest (q = 0.66). (3) The proliferation of O2O-FDR in Nanjing is more consistent with the innovation diffusion hypothesis. (4) In comparison to CR, O2O-FDR has a stronger correlation with fast food restaurants accessibility, which potentially increases the availability of less healthy food products. This study contributes to urban planning and urban design that promotes healthy eating.