Food deserts, activity patterns, & social exclusion: The case of Tokyo, Japan

Abstract

This study attempts to identify areas with a high level of discrepancy in the probability for an individual to exceed the threshold of walking time for grocery shopping. It is based on an assumption that a higher discrepancy is associated with more relative disadvantages for socially excluded people, the elderly, withno car and unemployed. A geographically weighted logistic model that incorporates individual constraints and spatial accessibility is developed to yield a probability, capturing the spatial variation of relations of factors. In the city of Tokyo, the north-eastern area shows a significant discrepancy for the socially excluded group. The distribution of high level of discrepancy differs compared to that of the area with low accessibility. This study's methodology and results provide convincing evidence that in determining food desert areas, relative accessibility estimated with personal attributes should be taken into account. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.