Planning in a Vacuum: Tartu University Hospital and Urban Development of the City of Tartu in the Second Half of the 20th Century

Abstract

The University of Tartu has been an anchor institution – as a driver of urban revitalization and a designer of urban landscape. Starting from the re-opening of the university, the growth of the population in the city has been directly correlated with the growth of the university and its student body (Kruus, 1927). In 2010 the collective body of the university constituted approximately 1/5 of the registered population (Tartu City Forum, 2010). The anchor institution is a driver of economic growth, a real estate developer and a service provider (Harkavy et al., 2009). The University of Tartu and Tartu University Hospital known as Estonian Meds and Eds are one of the key factors of the favorable economic climate since the two medical and educational institutions concur in providing health care, quality of life, amenity and highly educated labor for the community. In the 21st century Tartu University Hospital has become one of the anchor institutions of Tartu and South Estonian Region, having a direct impact on the City and its economic growth.