Measuring and Assessing the Level of Living Conditions and Quality of Life in Smart Sustainable Cities in Poland—Framework for Evaluation Based on MCDM Methods

Abstract

The increasing degree of urbanization of the world community is creating several multidimensional challenges for modern cities in terms of the need to provide adequate living and working conditions for their residents. An opportunity to ensure optimal conditions and quality of life are smart sustainable cities, which integrate various resources for their sustainable development using modern and smart technological solutions. This paper addresses these issues by presenting the results of a study of the level and quality of living conditions in the 29 largest cities in Poland, an EU member state. This study used 35 indicators characterizing the six main areas of activity of the cities to assess the living conditions and quality of life in these cities. To achieve this purpose, an original research methodology was developed, in which the EDAS and WASPAS methods and the Laplace criterion were applied. The application of a multi-criteria approach to the issue under study made it possible to determine the levels of quality of life and living conditions in the studied cities for each dimension, as well as the final index of this assessment (Smart Sustainable Cities Assessment Scores). On this basis, a ranking of these cities was made. In addition, relationships between living conditions and quality of life and the levels of wealth and population of the cities were also assessed. The results showed a wide variation in the levels of living conditions and quality of life in the cities studied, as well as their independence from geographic location. Cities with higher GDP levels that were investing in innovation and knowledge-based development fared much better.