Built Environment and Health

This briefing paper reviews zoning and land use laws to learn more about how food outlets are regulated in different kinds of communities. It concludes that lower-income communities are less likely to specifically permit non-store food outlets than higher-income communities. Figure 1 shares data on the prevalence of food outlets in zoning codes. Figure 2 compares the prevalence of store and fast-food restaurant permitted use by income and Figure 3 compares the prevalence of mobile vending and fruit and vegetable outlet permitted use by income.