Consumerist ideology and the symbolic landscapes of private medicine

The consumption of health care has generally been examined by geographers in terms of patterns of service utilization by patients. The sites of service provision have been viewed as locations rather than as contributors to, and constituents of, urban landscapes. In this paper we argue that perspectives of the so-called "new" cultural geography can assist in interpreting the urban landscapes of health care. The case of accident and medical clinics in New Zealand is examined and used to argue that the underlying ideologies of private provision and consumerism is reflected in the symbols used in both the built environment and in advertising. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd