Urban-specific planning strategies for advancing the Suandok Medical Innovation District: a pathway to sustainable development in Chiang Mai, Thailand
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/bgeo-2026-0037Keywords
Innovation District Planning, Place-based Approach, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Kernel Density Estimation (KDE), Sustainable CityAbstract
Suandok Medical Innovation District (SMID) serves as a key hub for medical education, services, research centers, schools and medical innovation development, aiming to enhance service delivery efficiency. Especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been rapidly growing interest in urban policy in SMID and the town of Chiang Mai. However, the institutional environment may not fully address the evolving needs of SMID. To investigate this potential disparity, urban-specific planning emerges as a novel approach that promotes collaborative infrastructure use, accessibility, and enhanced quality of life. Using observation research, this paper aimed to formulate a planning strategy for SMID, employing a place-based approach that uses Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) via Geographic Information System (GIS) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to identify key planning factors. ...
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