Speaker
Description
The prompt growth of medical tourism (MT) due to globalization has significantly impacted urban infrastructure, socioeconomic order, and environmental sustainability in host cities. Istanbul, a significant destination for international MT, serves an illustrative case study for analyzing this phenomenon. This study investigates how MT expansion affects urban planning, emphasizing the opportunities and challenges it poses for equitable development, social inequities, and urban sustainability.
This research uses a mixed methods approach to examine the relationship between MT and urban planning. The methodology leverages Social Impact Assessment (SIA) as a central framework to examine the multidimensional impacts of MT counting economic, social and environmental dimensions. SIA allows for a systematic analysis and evaluation including access to healthcare, housing affordability, cultural integrity, and community cohesion. Through SIA, this research will identify and evaluates both tangible and intangible outcomes, shedding light on how the prioritization of MT infrastructure effects local population.
To ensure a comprehensive understanding of the subject data collection integrate qualitative and quantitate methods. Primary data includes semi-structured interviews with stockholders, including healthcare providers, medical tourism companies, and urban planners as well as focus groups. Quantitative data will be collected through surveys directed at locals, documentation and literature on socioeconomic changes, healthcare accessibility, and housing affordability. A spatial analysis and comparison will be completed on the distribution and density of MT infrastructure across Istanbul, focused on three areas: high-density (Şişli), medium density (Maslak), and low-density (Beylikdüzü). This study analyzes differences in healthcare access, transportation networks, and accommodation facilities for these districts.
The initial findings indicate a dual impact of MT urban planning in Istanbul. On the one hand, MT produces considerable economic advantages, such as job creation, investment, and improvements in healthcare infrastructure. These advantages position Istanbul as a competitive global hub for MT, enhancing innovation and increasing its international reputation. On the other hand, the prioritization of MT infrastructure results in the diversion away from public healthcare, creating inequities for residents, increasing property values due to tourism demand, increasing housing affordability challenges, displacing low-income populations and escalating gentrification. Furthermore, environmental concerns emerge as a critical dimension of the MT’s impacts. Increased tourism activity contributes to congestion in the roads, waste generation, and impact on natural resources. Theses problems highlight the necessity of developing sustainable planning strategies to balance economic growth with the preservation of the environment.
The study will address broader issues relevant to urban planning and tourism management, by look-in at destinations like Istanbul, that are most vulnerable to the pressure of MT, and how planning procedures might incorporate MT and sustainable tourism concepts. It will explore innovative approaches to minimize consequences of excessive tourism, like implementing green infrastructure, encouraging resource-efficient development, and encouraging cooperation between local communities. The full conference article will report the preliminary results of the study, presenting a detailed analysis of Istanbul’s MT infrastructure and its socioeconomic impacts.
By fostering dialogue on the critical issues, this study aims to equip decision-makers with the tools to create cities that balance the demands of tourism with the needs of their inhabitants. It encourages comprehensive urban design, fair resource allocation, and long-term viability of cities that rely heavily on tourism via the theoretical understanding of MT’s role in urban transformation and provide practical recommendations for policymakers and urban planners. It emphasizes the necessity for a paradigm shift in tourism planning transitioning from focusing on economic benefits to prioritizing sustainability, social equity, and urban resilience.
References
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| Keywords | Urban Planning; Medical Tourism; Sustainability; Social Impact Assessment; Istanbul |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
