Development of a Liveable City Index (LCI) Using Multi Criteria Geospatial Modelling for Medium Class Cities in Developing Countries

Abstract

Abstract:In recent years, research and development on liveable cities has gained much attention due to the complexity and diversity of liveability standards. Due to the already-existing grand-scale developments commonly found in most capitals, research on liveability is often conducted in smaller semi-urban cities. Using Khon Kaen District in Thailand as a case study, we have developed a Liveable City Index (LCI) based on residents' opinions and experts' recommendations with the integration of Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques. The first stage of the survey (out of three), identifies marked variations in attitudes towards the liveability of a city. The survey evaluates nine significant factors (Safety, Economy, Environment, Education, Health, Transportation, Recreation, Population Density, and Public Utility) through the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) for LCI development. The LCI map reveals that only 3.49% of the Khon Kaen area corresponds to the highest and high liveable city levels. This contradicts the earlier ranking of the city as the most liveable city in 2010, which was only based on economic factors. Moreover, the proposed method was applied to another area-the Muang district of Suphanburi in western Thailand-in order to test its reliability, and the results were found to be similar. This clearly supports the integration of residents' participation in assessing the liveability of a city, and it is evident that this proposed approach can be adopted in other areas for LCI development.

Analysis of Life Quality in a Tropical Mountain City Using a Multi-Criteria Geospatial Technique: A Case Study of Kandy City, Sri Lanka

“…To ensure the well-being of urban inhabitants, various kinds of approaches have been taken following various viewpoints, the details of which can be explored elsewhere [5][6][7][8]. The United Nation's Habitat Conference presented the concept of city livability (CL) in 1996 and stated that every city should be habitable [9]. Moreover, the following index and approaches provide some indicators to measure the level of livability in a city, such as the gross domestic product (GDP) and the human development index (HDI) [9].…”

“…The United Nation's Habitat Conference presented the concept of city livability (CL) in 1996 and stated that every city should be habitable [9]. Moreover, the following index and approaches provide some indicators to measure the level of livability in a city, such as the gross domestic product (GDP) and the human development index (HDI) [9]. The term "life quality" (LQ) is also used to describe the general well-being of societies and people [10,11].…”

“…However, it is widely applied in various subjects using different types of elements and dimensions. Recently, research related to the LQ in urban areas has been given a benchmark by using various kinds of approaches that numerous studies have demonstrated [4,9,12].…”

“…These factors can depend on each other, or they may be connected directly or indirectly. Moreover, a multifactorial approach can be used in a complex decision-making environment, because each criterion does not contribute to results equally; rather, different criteria make different contributions [9]. Hence, there should be a scientifically sound and mathematically trustworthy approach to evaluate the contribution criteria based on their importance or weight.…”

“…Hence, there should be a scientifically sound and mathematically trustworthy approach to evaluate the contribution criteria based on their importance or weight. Nevertheless, humans have some difficulty with simultaneously addressing decisions using many criteria or alternatives because criteria have several uses [9]. The available literature shows that there are various methods for decision making in a multi-criteria environment, including the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) [12,13].…”