A geospatial analysis of income level, food deserts and urban agriculture hot spots

Since the turn of the twenty-first century, concerns with disparities in food access and food consumption have been a growing topic for scholars and activists alike (Reisig and Hobbiss 2000; Whelan et al. 2002). The incorporation of agriculture in urban settings is one possible remedy to sustain population growth and increasingly high demands for food. Green spaces can help high-risk communities gain access to fresh, organic produce and reduce the presence of food deserts. However, within the spectrum of sustainability socioeconomic factors play a critical role in a community’s access to healthy organic foods. Although various studies associate an increase in access to food with the implementation of urban agricultural practices (LeClair and Aksan 2014), social exclusion remains a dominant obstacle in the successful integration of Urban Agriculture (henceforth: UA) in communities facing food insecurities (Meenar and Hoover 2012; Tiarachristie 2013). By expanding on the research and data collected by CultivateLA, this study assesses the relationship between clusters of different types of UA practices in LA County based on income levels to determine possible overlaps with food deserts in underserved communities. Using the geospatial analysis methods of Hot Spot Analysis, Buffers, and Directional Distribution to test the bivariate hypotheses, the pattern demonstrated by each of these phenomena, UA sites and food deserts, reveals that there is a significant statistical difference between them based on income levels within LA County. The findings indicate that a higher number of UA sites are located in neighborhoods with low percentages living under poverty, while 85% of neighborhoods with high percentages living below poverty are designed as food deserts. These results provide spatial statistical evidence of how these phenomena overlap, providing a platform for further exploration by city planners and other policy makers to remedy limited access to healthy foods in high-risk areas.

自21世纪之交以来，食品获取与食品消费不平等问题日益成为学者与行动者共同关注的议题（Reisig与Hobbiss，2000；Whelan等人，2002）。在城市空间中发展农业，是应对人口增长与食品需求持续高涨的可行路径之一。绿地空间可助力高风险社区获取新鲜有机农产品，同时缓解食品荒漠（food desert）现象。然而，在可持续发展的范畴内，社会经济因素对社区获取健康有机食品起着关键作用。尽管多项研究表明，城市农业（Urban Agriculture，以下简称UA）实践的推行可提升食品获取率（LeClair与Aksan，2014），但社会排斥仍是粮食不安全社区成功融入城市农业的主要障碍（Meenar与Hoover，2012；Tiarachristie，2013）。本研究基于CultivateLA收集的研究与数据，按收入水平分析洛杉矶县内不同类型城市农业实践集群的分布关联，以探明其与服务不足社区食品荒漠的潜在重叠情况。本研究采用热点分析（Hot Spot Analysis）、缓冲区分析（Buffers）与方向分布分析（Directional Distribution）等空间分析方法检验双变量假设，结果显示，城市农业点位与食品荒漠这两类现象的分布模式，在洛杉矶县内基于收入水平存在显著统计学差异。研究结果表明，城市农业点位更多分布于贫困率较低的社区，而85%的高贫困率社区被划定为食品荒漠区域。本研究结果为两类现象的空间重叠关系提供了空间统计学证据，同时为城市规划者与其他政策制定者后续开展高风险地区健康食品获取渠道改善工作提供了研究基础。