Paper short abstract:

The study explores a methodology of analysing urban resilience food in cities of the Global South

Paper long abstract:

Spatial distribution of access to fresh and healthy food in cities of the Global South and its resilience during times of crisis is a topic that has been little explored hitherto..

In Chile, the current food system that mainly supplies cities is composed by street markets ("ferias libres") and supermarkets, which have different spatial expressions and are targeted at different population segments. Street markets supply 70% of the fruit and vegetables consumed in intermediate cities but have an ephemeral nature due to their weekly periodicity. Supermarkets are permanent and provide a wide variety of products, attracting people to make a single purchase at a higher cost.

This study analyzes the accessibility patterns of the two food systems and their resilience in COVID-19 and proposes guidelines for urban food policy that focuses not only on a 15-minute city but on a resilient city from a food perspective.

The Metropolitan Area of Concepción and the La Serena - Coquimbo Conurbation are taken as case studies, mapping street markets and supermarkets along with their service areas. Distance analyses at block level are conducted to establish accessibility gradients to healthy food under normal and pandemic situations.

The results indicate that food resilience has a spatial expression directly related to socioeconomic differences, identifying urban areas that not only have low accessibility to fresh food sources but are also highly dependent on the temporality of street markets, reducing their food resilience. Due to their socioeconomic conditions, these areas increase their vulnerability in a health emergency situation.