Level Of Livability Research Articles

Evaluating Neighborhoods Livability in Nigeria: A Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) Approach

There is a growing concern about city livability around the world and of particular concern is the aspects of the person-environment relationship which encompasses many characteristics suffice to make a place livable. Extant literature provides livability dimensions such as housing unit characteristics, neighborhood facilities, economic vitality and safety environment. These livability dimensions as well as their attributes found in the extant literature have been reported to have high reliability measurement level. Although, various methods have been applied to examine relationships among the variables however structural equation modeling (SEM) has been found more holistic as a modeling technique to understand and explain the relationships that may exist among variable measurements. Structural equation modeling simultaneously performs multivariate analysis including multiple regression, path and factor analysis in the cause-effect relationships between latent constructs. Therefore, this study investigates the key factors of livability of planned residential neighborhoods in Minna, Nigeria with the research objectives of – (a) to study the livability level of the selected residential neighborhoods, (b) to determine the dimensions and indicators which most influence the level of livability in the selected residential neighborhoods, and (c) to reliably test the efficacy of structural equation modeling (SEM) in the assessment of livability. The methodology adopted in this study includes- Data collection with the aid of structured questionnaire survey administered to the residents of the study area based on stratified random sampling. The data collected was analyzed with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 22.0 and AMOS 22.0 software for structural equation modeling (a second-order factor). The study revealed that livability as a second-order factor is indicated by economic vitality, safety environment, neighborhood facilities and housing unit characteristics first-order factors. The result shows that economic vitality (income, mobility and mobility cost) most significantly measures neighborhood livability. Also, results of the model achieved good fit indices such as CFI of 0.907 and the RMSEA value of 0.096. Thus, SEM analyses in this study offer a methodological guide on the efficacy of CFA second-order factor.

Modern and Vernacular Settlements in Doha: An Urban Planning Strategy to Pursue Modernity and Consolidate Cultural Identity

Scholars and researchers, who investigate the extent to which spatial form and livability are mutually interconnected, stress that the built environment provides the space for the enhancement of social interactions, which in turn have a deep impact on the level of livability of cities. Namely, in relation to this relationship, to which extent the built environment of (1) the contemporary business district of ‘West Bay’ and (2) of the heritage site of the ‘Souq Waqif’ in Doha contributes to the enhancement of social interactions and/or livability has not been comparatively investigated yet. This study aims at investigating how the spatial form of the two selected precincts contributes to create a livable environment. The analysis indicates that while West Bay’s contemporary built environment contributes to the image of Doha as a modern city, the traditional settlement of the Souq Waqif contributes to the formation of a sense of community, increase occasions for social interactions, enhance livability and finally consolidate cultural identity

Caracterização e modelagem de indicadores de qualidade ambiental urbana integrada e aplicação à Vila Habitacional União, bairro da Terra Firme, Belém, Pará

O espaço urbano de Belém, Pará, apresenta problemas ambientais que impõem, à grande parte da população, uma qualidade ambiental urbana crítica. O presente estudo objetivou avaliar a qualidade ambiental urbana da vila habitacional União, bairro da Terra Firme, Belém, Pará. A metodologia estruturou o índice de qualidade ambiental urbana integrada, a partir da modelagem de indicadores de qualidade ambiental urbana, habitabilidade urbana e qualidade da água tratada. Esses três índices quantificaram as variáveis de abastecimento de água, coleta de lixo, cobertura vegetal, esgotamento sanitário, pavimentação de vias, condições de infraestrutura dos domicílios, existência de equipamentos urbanos de uso comum, transporte coletivo, acessibilidade, renda familiar, condições empregatícias, escolaridade e qualidade da água tratada. Delimitou-se a zona de habitabilidade urbana para a espacialização das variáveis utilizadas. Os resultados dos indicadores são: índice de qualidade ambiental urbana, 50 pontos, nível regular de qualidade ambiental; índice de habitabilidade urbana, 48,6 pontos, nível regular de habitabilidade e índice de qualidade da água tratada, 98,13 pontos, nível ótimo de qualidade da água. A média aritmética dos três índices gerou o índice de qualidade ambiental urbana integrada, 65,57 pontos, nível bom de qualidade ambiental da vila habitacional União. A interpretação deste índice integrado reflete os indicadores mensurados em cada índice. Conclui-se que a modelagem de indicadores de qualidade ambiental urbana representa a possibilidade do uso de uma importante ferramenta nas análises da qualidade ambiental urbana, em micro ou em macro escala, propondo-se relações de gestão e reestruturação mais eficientes do ambiente urbano, principalmente nas periferias urbanas.

A comparative study of Beijing and three global cities: A perspective on urban livability

A so-called global city that plays an important role in regional and global economic, political and cultural development should perform well in terms of its livability. The livability level of Beijing was compared with those of three acknowledged global cities, i.e., New York City, Greater London, and Tokyo-to to clarify whether Beijing has great potential to grow into a global city. From the aspects of social development, living standard and environmental quality, the livable level integrated index (LLII) was established in this paper to evaluate the urban livability, while the linear weighted sum was applied as the assessment model. After analyzing the situations of the four cities during 2000–2009, it was indicated that the LLIIs of Beijing, New York City, Greater London, and Tokyo-to were respectively 38.76, 52.93, 50.95, and 40.65 in 2000. By comparison, the LLIIs in 2009 were 38.96, 59.23, 69.24 and 52.15, respectively. Further analysis showed that a big gap exists between the environmental quality of Beijing and those of three global cities and the performance of social development for Beijing declined in the last decade. To accelerate the transformation of Beijing to a global city, much more attention should be paid to improve the environmental quality, especially the atmospheric quality and water quality.

The research on the evaluation index system of livable rural areas in China—by the case of rural areas in Henan Province

Abstract In this paper the evaluation index system of livable rural areas was established from five aspects, involving material standard, rural education situation, living condition, medical service and health status and social security in rural areas. Ten counties’ livability level of Henan Province in 2008 were evaluated, ranked and analyzed. The result shows this evaluation index system has good reliability.

Setting up of a protocol of environmental research for the preservation and right exploitation of the cultural heritage

The research aims at collecting information on the state of preservation of the cultural heritage in Palermo, and deals more precisely with Vittorio Emanuele avenue, itself bounded by two city gates called Porta Felice (northern gate facing the Mediterranean sea) and Porta Nuova (southern gate) that both give access to the historic centre of the city. Another important purpose is the assessment of livability level, be it for workers, residents, cultural operators, or else visitors, with a particular interest in traffic noise. The research has been conducted by means of miscellaneous scientific duties; however we shall only refer here to two types of practice : the monitoring of environmental noise and the monitoring of the level of air aggressiveness through the study of thermo-hygrometric and chemical aspects. Whereas the Corrosion Classification Coupon was useful for the measurement of corrosive agents in outdoor locations, outdoor HOBO Pro sensors were used to report temperature and relative humidity. Hence it was possible to define the acoustic climate on the avenue surveying both geometrical data as well as traffic flow and characteristics.