The city of Vancouver is growing. According to the census data, 546 000 people lived in the city in 2001—a 16% increase from the 1991 census (Vancouver Fact Sheet). At this rate, the population of Vancouver could increase to 650 000 people by 2011. With growing population, the city needs to pay close attention to the infrastructure. In the near future, there will be an increased need for educational institutions, community centers, recreational amenities, improved transportation services, as well as healthcare facilities. The goal of this project is to select a location for a new hospital development that will alleviate some of the stresses associated with population growth. In this project, the location of the new hospital will be dictated by current demographics of the city. Using GIS and Multi Criteria Evaluation I plan to use constraints and factors to find several sites that are best suited for the development.

According to a study conducted by John Billings and colleagues, persons in various age groups have different rates of hospitalization (Billings et al, 1993). The “At Risk” population is comprised of children, as well as the elderly. For children under the age of 5, Billings’ study found an average of 398 hospital admissions per 10 000 people (Billings et al, 1993). The hospitalization dropped to 1/3 in the following age brackets, but increased again for the population over the age of 55 (Billings et al, 1993). For the purpose of this project, the “At Risk” persons were defined as 0-5 years of age, as well as those over the age of 55. Most of the weight of the analysis was allocated to the “At Risk” population density.

Wilkinson, in his paper examining social determinants of health, argues that health, and life expectancy decreases as we move down the socioeconomic ladder (Wilkinson, 2003). Stress, anxiety, and instability in life are strongly linked to illness, disability, heart disease, and poor mental health (Wilkinson, 2003). Our financial status dictates the quality of food we eat, the ability to take care of small health problems before they grow, and influences the time we take to recover from illness (Wilkinson, 2003). Although the Canadian health system is funded, the income of each individual is a major factor in hospitalization—for Canadians with low-income, the frequency of hospitalization rises (Chen, 2001). For these reasons, the average household income in Vancouver was taken into consideration when choosing the location for the new hospital.

The study area of this project was limited to the Vancouver boundaries. The additional constraints included the suitable land-use for development, and excluded locations of major road networks where a hospital cannot be positioned. Other factors included total population density, proximaty to road networks, distance from the Vancouver’s boundary edges, as well as distance from existing hospitals.

This project provides a clear analysis of the key factors that influence where a new Vancouver hospital will be situated. The relative importance of each of the factors, although subjective, is representative of the current knowledge of health and illness patterns. As with any service, the goal of this project is to benefits a large portion of the population, and maximizes the resources of our city.