GIS-Based Multi-criteria Decision Analysis for the Optimal Location of Public Facility in Batna City, Algeria

Urban technical facilities (UTF) are the carriers of urban public services. The main objective of this study is to find the best location for installing a technical facility in the city of Batna. This can be reached using four criteria; urban accessibility, urban centrality, population density and neighboring technical facilities, and a spatial analysis incorporating weighted overlay multi-criteria analysis. The results obtained show that 160.41 ha (13%) of the city were found to be adequate locations for installing new facilities, 272.94 ha (22%) were inadequate, and 804.94 ha (65%) of the city exhibited moderate capabilities. By applying network analyst of service areas and the population potential index it was possible to rank the sites in order of priority. Through the obtained results, the novelty of this work lies in addressing an unexplored issue of spatial distribution of public facilities within the urban fabric. Unlike previous studies, which primarily focus on other types of facilities such as landfills, this study fills a gap by specifically targeting UTF, which are essential for urban development, especially if their role is at the regional level. In a city exhibiting signs of planning incoherence, this analysis aids decision-making for social equity and sustainable development.