The Influences of Landscape Features on Visitation of Hospital Green Spaces—A Choice Experiment Approach

Kaowen Grace Chang and Hungju Chien
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Kaowen Grace Chang: Department of Landscape Architecture, National Chiayi University, Chiayi City 600, Taiwan
Hungju Chien: Commerce Technology Application Research Division, Commerce Development Research Institute, Taipei City 106, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2017, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-15

Abstract: Studies have suggested that visiting and viewing landscaping at hospitals accelerates patient’s recovery from surgery and help staff’s recovery from mental fatigue. To plan and construct such landscapes, we need to unravel landscape features desirable to different groups so that the space can benefit a wide range of hospital users. Using discrete choice modeling, we developed experimental choice sets to investigate how landscape features influence the visitations of different users in a large regional hospital in Taiwan. The empirical survey provides quantitative estimates of the influence of each landscape feature on four user groups, including patients, caregivers, staff, and neighborhood residents. Our findings suggest that different types of features promote visits from specific user groups. Landscape features facilitating physical activities effectively encourage visits across user groups especially for caregivers and staff. Patients in this study specify a strong need for contact with nature. The nearby community favors the features designed for children’s play and family activities. People across user groups value the features that provide a mitigated microclimate of comfort, such as a shelter. Study implications and limitations are also discussed. Our study provides information essential for creating a better healing environment in a hospital setting.

Keywords: hospital; landscape; healing environment; built environment wellbeing; site improvement; choice experiment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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