104840

Abstract The selection of optimal areas for health services constructions in the land planning process implies analyzing and understanding economic, environmental and social variables that interact in the territory. The case study of this research, La Calera municipality in Colombia, represents a delimited region with potential for infrastructure development and a significant area reserved for environmental protection. This study addresses how the assignment of a new level III or IV hospital could reduce the problems of inequity in access to health services.

The research uses a multi-criteria evaluation, defining the main restrictions to select the optimal area. La Calera municipality represents a focal point to urban expansion projects due the location close to the capital city. The conceptual model indicated that La Calera municipality constitutes a territory where there is an area available and it fulfills the conditions to construct a new hospital. The new hospital constitutes a solution to a necessity raised by the expanding educational institutions in this territory, from territorial planning and from the local population and its surroundings. The tools offered by Geographic Information Systems can support decision-making processes in the land ordering planning, where different criteria and variables weights must be considered to define areas suitable for a new construction. The results suggest that the land ordering planning process in La Calera municipality has potential opportunities to pursue development using geographic information while respecting the environment, achieving sustainable use of land.

Key words: multi-criteria evaluation, health services, Geographic Information Systems, optimal área.