The Impacts of ICT Platforms on Public Place Use in China

The integration of ICT (Information and Communications Technology) platforms in everyday places has become a common trend in developing hybrid environments in cities around the globe. In China, the speed of integrating internet-based ICT platforms in urban environments has become a common practice. However, such integration has an impact on the use of public places. This study focuses on four examples of public places in the City of Ningbo, China. The public spaces are divided into four categories: a primary public place; a secondary public place; a public park; and a linear public place in the old town area. The study aims to map and assess three factors of: ICT availability; people's behaviour in selected public places; and their interaction with the ICT platforms. ICT availability is mapped as the main study subject; people's behaviours are mapped to evaluate ICT use in public places; and people's interactions are assessed to evaluate how and why they use such platforms in public places. The findings highlight behavioural changes in public place usage and their impact on people's interaction with such important urban nodes. Lastly, the study concludes with the emerging role of ICT platforms in public places. Applications may differ in other contexts, but the study aims to highlight context-specific matters that may also be relevant to other locales.