Analyzing the Impact of Decreasing Out-of-Vehicle Time of Public Transportation Travel on Accessibility to Tertiary Hospitals

Zhenbao Wang (), Dong Liu, Shihao Li, Shuyue Liu, Huiqing Li and Ning Chen
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Zhenbao Wang: School of Architecture and Art, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan 056038, China
Dong Liu: School of Architecture and Art, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan 056038, China
Shihao Li: School of Architecture and Art, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan 056038, China
Shuyue Liu: School of Architecture and Art, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan 056038, China
Huiqing Li: School of Architecture and Art, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan 056038, China
Ning Chen: Beijing Key Laboratory of Traffic Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 16, 1-20

Abstract: Unequal distribution of healthcare resources can lead to many fundamental problems, including the accessibility and equity of care in different regions. Existing studies often focus on administrative divisions, street zones, and conducting analyses of healthcare accessibility, but there is a lack of research on healthcare accessibility analysis specifically targeting apartment complexes. Furthermore, there is insufficient consideration of the impact of out-of-vehicle time on healthcare accessibility through public transportation. Taking Beijing’s 5th Ring Road area as an example, we used multiple data sources to construct a framework for the accessibility of medical care in apartment complexes using public transportation. We assumed two scenarios of 1/2 and 1/3 reduction in out-of-vehicle time. We compared and analyzed the changes in accessibility and equity under the two scenarios to investigate the impact of out-of-vehicle time on accessibility and equity of medical care in apartment complexes. The results show that (1) reducing out-of-vehicle time does not guarantee increased accessibility to all apartment complexes. (2) Under both scenarios, the accessibility of most apartment complexes within the fourth and fifth rings increased, and the accessibility of most apartment complexes within the Daxing District increased; otherwise, the accessibility of most apartment complexes in other areas decreased, and the decrease in accessibility was more significant for the scenario with a 1/2 reduction in out-of-vehicle time than for the scenario with a 1/3 reduction in out-of-vehicle time. (3) In both scenarios, the Gini coefficients of residential accessibility were calculated separately for inter-ring and administrative divisions, and the equity of residential accessibility increased in each division; the equity of accessibility increased more with a 1/2 out-of-vehicle time reduction than with a 1/3 out-of-vehicle time reduction. The framework proposed in this paper allows us to analyze the impact of out-of-vehicle time of public transportation on accessibility to medical care for apartment complexes.

Keywords: accessibility of medical care; Gaussian two-step floating catchment area method; public transportation; out-of-vehicle time (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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