Evaluation of the Spatial Equality of Medical Service Functions from the Perspective of Livable Life Circles: A Case Study of Chengdu City

Abstract

Against the backdrop of life gradually returning to normal following the global pandemic, medical services—as a key component of public infrastructure in livable communities—continue to hold undeniable importance. However, due to the heterogeneous distribution of medical facilities, significant spatial imbalances often exist between central and peripheral areas within urban regions. Life circle theory emphasizes the spatial and temporal accessibility of essential public services within residents’ daily living spaces, while the complex-systems perspective highlights the relationships among service provision, population demand, and contextual conditions. Based on these perspectives, this study develops an assessment framework for the spatial equality of medical service functions and applies population spatialization, the Gaussian two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method, and Z-score standardization to evaluate Level I, Level II, Level III, and total medical service functions in Chengdu City, China. Accessibility is used to characterize residents’ modeled opportunities to reach medical services within the differentiated life-circle service ranges, while the spatial equality assessment focuses on the relative spatial correspondence between medical service provision and population demand. Under the predefined service-range and travel-mode assumptions, 97.69% of the population and 63.76% of Chengdu’s metropolitan area are covered by the total medical service function. Accessibility generally decreases from the central urban area and district or county centers toward peripheral areas. Level II, Level III, and total medical service functions exhibit a clear multicenter and hierarchical spatial structure, with higher accessibility in central urban areas and district or county centers than in their peripheral areas. The Z-score analysis further identifies relative supply–demand configurations, including high supply–high demand, low supply–low demand, oversupply, and undersupply, with Level II, Level III, and total medical service functions generally exhibiting a core–periphery pattern. These findings provide an assessment approach and spatial evidence for identifying disparities in medical service provision and supporting the differentiated planning and optimization of medical facilities within livable life circles.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Land, 2026 · DOI ↗