Resident's satisfaction and neighbourhood characteristics in Japanese urban communities

Abstract

Despite an increasing number of studies on the evaluation of residential areas, only a few have paid attention to the identification of the components that influence the degree of residents' satisfaction. This study attempts to identify the physical and socio-environmental components of a neighbourhood that affect resident's satisfaction. Information was obtained from a mailed survey of 329 randomly selected occupants in Tokyo and its peripheries in January 1986. Findings indicated satisfaction with current living conditions among the people in the sample. Environmental factors were among the most important predictors in explaining this satisfaction. These predictors included noise and ground vibration caused by traffic, amount of sunlight and duration of sunshine inside dwelling units, roads and roadside walkways, open space, car and bicycle parking, ground drainage and sewage systems. In addition, social factors such as safety and security and length of residence in the neighbourhood were also found to be dominant predictors affecting the degree of resident's satisfaction.