Abstracts

This thesis discusses the relationship between urban form and accessibility to fresh food in Montreal. Anchored in the disciplines of urban morphology and retail geography, it mobilizes GIS-based spatial and network analysis, as well as methods for measuring travel times by transportation modes. Establishments selling fresh fruits and vegetables are used as a proxy for healthy and nutritious food retailing. A three-pronged analysis is performed that looks into the establishments spatial distribution; the physical and spatial characteristics of their surroundings; and their accessibility by active and collective transportation modes. A morphological approach reveals fine spatial articulations between retail location and specific characteristics and properties of the urban system, including its transportation infrastructures. The importance of accessibility to fresh food on public health cannot be over-emphasized. Furthermore, a supply system that reduces automobile dependence is a crucial step towards social and environmental sustainability and equitability.