Could the Answer to Food Deserts Be in Hong Kong?- Bray-Sweet

One may think that large cities with high prices are most likely to develop food deserts. Susanne Freidberg’s research has proven this may not be the case. Freidberg is an associate professor of geography at Dartmouth and has also written a book titled Fresh: A Perishable History. She wrote a series of blogs as a guest poster for the New York Times' online section called "Freakonomics."

Freidberg visited Hong Kong, an obviously crowded, large city. She points out that “thirty thousand people live in each square kilometer versus the 10,238 per square kilometer in New York…, with most of them living in very small apartments.” Even so, the answer seems to lie in the wet markets of the city. These markets provide fresh, affordable food and are within walking distance for most residents of Hong Kong. Perhaps part of the answer to solving food deserts could be discovered here.

Please read more about Freidberg’s excellent research and thoughts in her article: Freidberg’s Article

Citation: Freidberg, Susanne. "Food Deserts: A Guest Post." Freakonomics. Mar. 2009. New York Times. 14 July 2009