How food delivery platforms are reshaping cities

Digital food delivery platforms have quickly become part of everyday life in many cities. But behind the convenience lies a growing logistics system that is reshaping how urban space is used and how food is produced, distributed and consumed.

Couriers waiting outside metro stations. Bikes weaving through traffic. Restaurant kitchens preparing meals for customers they may never see. In many large cities, food delivery has become a familiar part of the urban landscape. With just a few taps on a phone, meals can arrive at the door within minutes.

Mosen Farhangi, researcher at IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, studies how digital food platforms operate in and through cities, and what their expansion might mean for infrastructure, labour systems, spatial inequality and urban food environments.

How do digital food delivery platforms affect urban environments?

– Food delivery may seem like a purely digital service, but in reality it relies heavily on public space and urban infrastructure. Sidewalks become loading zones, bike lanes turn into delivery corridors and public benches become waiting areas between orders. Over time, these places start functioning as informal workplaces, even though they were never designed for that purpose, says Mosen Farhangi.

What makes this challenging is that these impacts are dispersed and mobile. Unlike a factory or warehouse, platform infrastructure is not fixed, it appears wherever demand peaks.

Do different neighbourhoods experience the impacts differently?

– Yes, the impacts are unevenly distributed across the city. In wealthier neighbourhoods, food delivery is mainly experienced as convenience. In other areas, the infrastructure pressure is more visible – with clusters of couriers, delivery traffic and increased use of public space.

At the same time, facilities such as ghost kitchens often locate where rents are lower, while deliveries are frequently targeted towards wealthier neighbourhoods. This creates a spatial mismatch between where the impacts occur and where the benefits are enjoyed.

What are working conditions like?

– Many couriers work under algorithmic management, with limited control over income, schedules or safety. They often use their own equipment and have no access to basic facilities such as toilets, rest areas or charging points. There have been improvements in some cities, such as minimum pay rules or safety regulations. However, these measures tend to be reactive and uneven.

How are digital food platforms changing the urban food system?

– Digital platforms are shifting the food system from neighbourhood-based dining to on-demand logistics. This changes how food is produced, distributed and consumed. While this can create new opportunities for restaurants and increases convenience for consumers, it also risks leading to more standardised menus and weakening the connection between food, place, and community. Over time, there is a risk that neighbourhood food cultures become more homogenised, shaped by platform logic rather than local identity.

What are the main sustainability challenges linked to food delivery?

– One challenge is transport. Food delivery increases the number of short trips in cities, often during peak hours. Even when bikes or e-bikes are used, deliveries still add pressure to already crowded streets and bike lanes.

Another issue is packaging waste. The growth of food delivery has significantly increased the use of single-use packaging. Even when materials are technically recyclable, the volume creates major challenges for waste systems. Without strong regulation or incentives, packaging waste risks becoming one of the hidden environmental costs of digital convenience.

What should cities and policymakers pay attention to now?

– The first step is to recognise digital food platforms as part of the urban system. These platforms are not just digital services, they are increasingly shaping how cities use streets, public spaces and infrastructure. Cities therefore need to integrate food delivery into planning for mobility, public space, labour conditions and sustainability.

Read more about the project Navigating digital food platforms and spatial inequality External link, opens in new window.

For more information, please contact:
Mosen Farhangi, mosen.farhangi@ivl.se, +46 (0)10-788 66 73