Perception and Interaction of Urban Medical Space from the Perspective of Technical Geography: A Case Study of Guangzhou, China
Publication: Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 149, Issue 4
Abstract
Through a questionnaire survey and semistructured interviews, this paper adopts a structural equation model to analyze the impact of official hospital WeChat accounts on urban residents’ spatial perceptions and interactions with technology in Guangzhou, China. We find that official hospital WeChat accounts have a significant remodeling effect on urban residents’ spatial behaviors and perceptions, mainly affecting the improvement in medical efficiency and the expansion of medical scope and convenience. Such accounts also reduce the psychological distance between urban residents and hospitals. Furthermore, online medical service platforms restructure urban residents’ physical spatial movement, which is characterized by spatiotemporal compression and technical interaction. Spatiotemporal compression is manifested in the reduction in invalid time for residents in urban medical spaces and the expansion of the scope of medical treatment. Technical interaction is reflected in the mutual consultation and promotion between urban residents and technology. This paper aims to improve our understanding of the influence of technology on urban medical space and residents, and provides a reference for the optimization of urban space governance.
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 42271241). The author also thank the editors and anonymous reviewers who commented on an earlier draft of this paper. All errors are the responsibility of the author.
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Published In
Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 149 • Issue 4 • December 2023
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© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Nov 17, 2022
Accepted: Jun 20, 2023
Published online: Aug 3, 2023
Published in print: Dec 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Jan 3, 2024
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