Neighbourhood Attractiveness Research Articles

Modelling the Factors of Neighbourhood Attractiveness Reflected in Residential Location Decision Choices

Characteristics of neighbourhoods are important in the decisions of people to move. Such characteristics, if collapsed into a small number of components, enable measures of neighbourhood attractiveness to be derived and the patterns mapped in a GIS. This paper employs this procedure for suburbs across the Brisbane-South East Queensland region, the third largest and a rapidly growing metropolis in Australia, using data collected in a survey of quality of life. Three factors of neighbourhood attractiveness—aesthetic, amenity, and social interaction—are identified. To map those factors, a set of surrogate measures that replace survey data derived subjective importance scores with objective measures derived from a series of GIS data overlays are developed. A factor score coefficient matrix is used to derive a set of parameterised linear equations which permits a spatial representation of the factors across the suburbs comprising the Brisbane-SEQ region. This results in a set of maps which display spatial variations in the attractiveness of suburbs vis a vis the derived dimensions of subjective attractiveness for residential selection by people.

Neighborhood design and active aging

This qualitative analysis of focus groups describes how neighborhood design encourages active aging. Nine focus groups were conducted in 2002 and 2003 with residents ( N = 60 ) aged 55 and over living in Portland, OR, USA. Content analysis revealed that local shopping and services, traffic and pedestrian infrastructure, neighborhood attractiveness, and public transportation influence activity among older adults. This information will be useful for making policy recommendations relating to land use planning and transportation, to assist in senior-friendly developments and neighborhood improvements, and to design effective senior health interventions with an emphasis on neighborhood design influences.

Neighbourhood inequalities in physical inactivity: the role of neighbourhood attractiveness, proximity to local facilities and safety in the Netherlands

We investigated the association between the neighbourhood socioeconomic environment and physical inactivity, and explored the contribution of neighbourhood characteristics to this association. Data were analysed of 20–69 years old participants of the Dutch GLOBE study who lived in 78 neighbourhoods of Eindhoven (n=8.767). The neighbourhood socioeconomic environment was assessed from aggregated self-reported information of participants’ education and occupation level, and employment status. Aspects of physical inactivity investigated were based on the time spent on (a) walking and cycling to shops or work, (b) walking, cycling and gardening in leisure time, and (c) participation in sports activities. Characteristics of neighbourhoods included the proximity to food shops, general physical design of neighbourhoods, quality of green facilities, noise pollution from traffic and required police attention as evaluated by municipal services (professionals) responsible for these characteristics.Compared to those living in the most advantaged neighbourhoods, residents living in the quartile of socio-economically most disadvantaged neighbourhoods were more likely to walk or cycle to shops or work, but less likely to walk, cycle or garden in leisure time and less likely to participate in sports activities (adjusted for age, sex and individual educational level). Neighbourhood inequalities in walking or cycling to shops or work were not mediated by specific neighbourhood characteristics included in our analyses. The increased probability of almost never walking, cycling and gardening in leisure time in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods was partly mediated by a poorer general physical design in these neighbourhoods. Similarly, the increased probability of almost never participating in sports activities in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods was partly mediated by larger amounts of required police attention.The direction of neighbourhood inequalities differs for aspects of physical inactivity. Neighbourhood characteristics are related to physical inactivity and contribute to neighbourhood socioeconomic inequalities in physical inactivity.

Socioeconomic Status Differences in Recreational Physical Activity Levels and Real and Perceived Access to a Supportive Physical Environment

Background. Spatial access to recreational facilities and perceptions of the neighborhood environment and physical activity levels were examined by the socioeconomic status of area of residence (SES). Methods. A cross-sectional survey of adults (18–59 years) ( n = 1,803) stratified by SES using a geographic-based index was conducted. Results. Respondents in low SES areas had superior spatial access to many recreational facilities, but were less likely to use them compared with those living in high SES areas. They were more likely to perceive that they had access to sidewalks and shops, but also perceived that their neighborhood was busier with traffic, less attractive, and less supportive of walking. After adjustment, respondents living in low SES areas were 36% less likely to undertake vigorous activity. While they were more likely to walk for transport, this was not statistically significant (OR, 1.27; 95% CI, 0.98–1.64), nor were other SES differences in walking for recreation and walking as recommended. Modifiable environmental factors were associated with walking and vigorous activity, especially perceived access to sidewalks and neighborhood attractiveness. Spatial access to attractive, public open space was associated with walking. Conclusions. Creating supportive environments—particularly sidewalks in attractive neighborhoods—has the potential to increase walking and vigorous activity.

Assessment of neighborhood satisfaction by residents of three housing types

A highly influential but often underemphasized determinant of residential satisfaction is how residents perceive and feel about their neighborhoods. In this study, factors representing different aspects of residents' neighborhoods were identified and examined in relation to their overall assessment of their homes and neighborhoods. Relationships among neighborhood aspects and overall housing and neighborhood assessments were examined separately for residents of conventional homes, mobile homes, and apartments. Results based on all residents indicated that evaluations of neighborhood aspects were unrelated to housing satisfaction, but were moderately related to positive sentiments and satisfaction with the neighborhood. Separate analyses by housing type revealed that neighborhood perceptions of apartment residents were influential in affecting housing satisfaction. For all residents, the neighborhood's attractiveness and pleasant-friendliness were the most important determinants of neighborhood acceptance and satisfaction. The results also indicated that despite sharing similar determinant patterns of neighborhood acceptance with the other two housing type groups, the basis for mobile home residents' evaluations was considerably less related to the factors identified as influential. The findings indicated that different neighborhood factors formed the basis for differences in overall housing and neighborhood satisfaction among residents living in the three housing types. However, since the type of housing does not by itself define a neighborhood, the differences that were found need to be considered in the larger context of other components of a neighborhood like economic and community characteristics typically associated with a specific structure type.