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28 JUL 2025 (MON) 15:35–15:55 

  • Writer: GEOG HKU
    GEOG HKU
  • 6 days ago
  • 2 min read

Restaurant Distribution, Commercial Influence, and Neighbourhood Preference: A Data-driven Analysis of Hong Kong Foodscape

Mr ZHENG Gang

( Supervisor: Prof Peter K Koh )


Abstract:

Hyper‑dense and multicultural Hong Kong concentrates more than 16,000 restaurants within just 1,104 km², creating an exceptionally diverse and complex dining environment. The constantly evolving distribution of restaurants provides both spatial and temporal perspectives for examining how various cuisines follow distinct developmental trajectories across the city. Restaurants are found in both residential neighbourhoods and commercial districts, reflecting Hong Kong’s diverse development and the daily needs of its residents. In addition to organic growth patterns, real estate development has played a major role in shaping Hong Kong’s culinary landscape, particularly through the construction of shopping malls and transit hubs. , which They have altered both the distribution and competitive dynamics of restaurants. Meanwhile, as spatial inequalities increase in Hong Kong, investigating cuisine preferences across neighbourhoods help clarify disparities in food access and inform strategies for a more inclusive urban food environment.


To investigate these intersecting forces behind Hong Kong’s restaurant market, this study addresses several key questions: (1) How have the number and composition of restaurants in Hong Kong changed between 2018 and 2023? (2) How are shifts in restaurant clusters associated with urban transformations such as land-use change, rising property values, and demographic turnover—processes that may reflect early signs of gentrification? (3) In what ways has the development of shopping malls and commercial complexes influenced the spatial distribution of restaurants? (4) How do culinary preferences and dining attitudes differ across neighbourhoods, and what are the implications for equitable access to Hong Kong’s diverse foodscape?


To answer these questions, this study develops an integrated, multi-source, data-driven analytical framework. Using official restaurant licensing records and OpenRice HK data, the framework tracks spatiotemporal shifts in restaurant distribution, links these patterns to developer-driven land-use restructuring and gentrification, and assesses the impact of socio-economic variation on culinary preferences. Unsupervised clustering is applied to analyzeanalyse shopping mall patterns, while Natural Language Processing techniques are employed to extract sentiment and preference information from OpenRice reviews. Preliminary results indicate that Korean and Taiwanese restaurant clusters are concentrated in areas undergoing land-use upgrading and early gentrification. In contrast, Japanese and Western cuisines tend to expand primarily within already developed neighborhoodsneighbourhoods. Meanwhile, mainland Chinese cuisines continue to proliferate in all inhabited areas, regardless of gentrification status. These findings highlight the heterogeneous expansion trajectories of different ethnic cuisine types and their systematic alignment with neighborhoodneighbourhood transformation processes across Hong Kong. By integrating all three stages, this study provides a clear, data-driven understanding of how food, capital, and community preferences collectively shape Hong Kong’s dining ecosystem. These insights can inform more equitable land-use policies, foster inclusive urban planning, and help preserve Hong Kong’s culinary heritage as the city continues to evolve.

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