Quality of Urban Life and Its Relationship to Spatial Conditions

Álvarez, Ana Llopis; Müller-Eie, Daniela

doi:10.2495/sc170251

Cited by 11 publications

(19 citation statements)

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“…Intersection of areas that potentially lack service accessibility across categories are identified in the southwestern areas of Pokhara, suggesting these areas are the most vulnerable. Targeting these areas to improve access to services address the spatial disparity of services and would improve the quality of life for the most vulnerable (Alvarez and Müller-Eie 2017). Health and education categories have the first and second largest areas identified as lacking services, both within the 2C area of interest and the municipal boundary, and these areas represent the first and second largest proportion of the total population out of all categories, respectively.…”

Section: Pokharamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One way to identify areas in need of additional services (as defined by the demand for a service based on population) is by examining the distance one must travel to reach needed services, demonstrating the spatial service accessibility (World Health Organization 2019). Research indicates that farther distances to services can be associated with a reduced quality of life (Wang 2018, Alvarez and Müller-Eie 2017, Manomano and Kang'ethe 2015. In the medical field, this is known as a "distance-decay association" which recognizes negative health outcomes the farther one resides away from health services (Frenkel and Israel 2018, Alvarez and Müller-Eie 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research indicates that farther distances to services can be associated with a reduced quality of life (Wang 2018, Alvarez and Müller-Eie 2017, Manomano and Kang'ethe 2015. In the medical field, this is known as a "distance-decay association" which recognizes negative health outcomes the farther one resides away from health services (Frenkel and Israel 2018, Alvarez and Müller-Eie 2017). While this trend is not universally observed, the extent of this relationship has shown to be exacerbated by reduced access to transportation services (Kelly et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The distance to social, educational, and food services, while not as extensively studied as health services, can have a similar effect and disproportionately reduce the quality of life of those who reside relatively far from services (Allard 2004;Alvarez and Müller-Eie 2017;Stock 1983;Manomano and Kang'ethe 2015). For example, students who live within walking distance from school are more likely to attend than those that live farther away (Filmer 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other studies have shown that access to social resources can reduce the crime rate and increase community health and wellbeing (Kawachi et al 1999, Manomano and Kang'ethe 2015, Blanford et al 2012. Accessibility of services and the constraints one must overcome to utilize these resources, whether that be distance, transportation, or cost, can influence overall community wellbeing (Alvarez and Müller-Eie 2017;Stock 1983;Blanford et al 2012). Providing baseline mapping of where services do not exist can assist city planners in identifying where to target resources in the future.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Networks of need: a geospatial analysis of secondary cities

et al. 2019

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Introduction: Urbanization and the continued growth of cities, both demographically and spatially, are topics of research studied across a range of disciplines in the urban millenniuma time in history when the majority of people live in cities. However, scholarly research has focused little attention on secondary cities, despite being the most rapidly growing cities in many low-and middle-income countries. Secondary cities, defined by their function rather than population size, are vital nodes for regional commerce and services. As these cities have historically been understudied, they lack geospatial data and the associated analyses important for local planners to understand how to meet current needs and plan for future growth. With this research, openly available geospatial data are evaluated, including both global (i.e., population distribution), local (i.e., municipal data), and data for four service categories (i.e., education, social, health, and food services). This research presents techniques to provide baseline understanding of data needs and accessibility of services in secondary cities with limited geospatial data and expertise. Case description: We examine two secondary cities, Pokhara, Nepal, and Douala, Cameroon. These cities are experiencing unplanned growth, development, and exposure to conditions that contribute to intra-urban inequalities. This research takes a spatial approach-coupling locally-created data sources (i.e., municipality data, fieldcollected, and non-governmental organizations' data) with global databases (i.e., world population and satellite images) to demonstrate how spatial data can be integrated and analyzed to enrich our limited understanding of secondary cities and the needs of resident populations. Four categories of services are evaluated and the distance to services from populated areas is calculated. Discussion and evaluation: This research suggests that the distribution of services in both cities does not align with high-need, densely populated areas for certain services, a result of unplanned urban growth. Conversely, populations in areas far from the city center must travel relatively far distances to reach services, indicating lower levels of accessibility. Conclusion: The results of this research serve to identify mapping needs and service accessibility. Projects focusing on geospatial data creation provide information needed for local populations to assess their community and the network of services offered. Additionally, local-decision makers can seek policy options to address unmet needs for community improvements and inequality reduction.

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Section: Pokharamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Networks of need: a geospatial analysis of secondary cities

et al. 2019

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Identifying the Impact of Social Capital on Quality of Urban Life (Evidence from Iran)

Amerian

2024

Soc Indic Res

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In this study we investigated the relationship between social capital (SC) and quality of urban life (QoUL). In fact, by using the concept of SC, we examined accuracy of the causal relationship among the three dimensions of the QoUL (objective, subjective and behavioral). The 22 district of Tehran was our case study. This district officially ran in 2000. The main tool for data collection was questionnaire and its constructs were directly extracted from the literature review. According to Cochran formula a total 384 questionnaire were distributed among participants. The data obtained from the questionnaire were analyzed in SPSS 21 as well as Smart PLS 3. The approach of structural equations modeling (SEM) was employed to confirm or decline our hypotheses. Findings of this study show that SC was positively associated with all three dimensions of QoUL. Also, the high objective QoUL in our sample has created a high subjective QoUL. However, the SQoUL did not lead to high behavioral QoUL. We believe that the low level of SC in the area has led to such a result.

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Academic Knowledge on Quality of Life in Urban Africa: What Do We Know?

Jacobs,

Cornelius,

Claassen

et al. 2024

Urban Forum

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Even though vague and contested, the construct of the quality of life can play an important role in gauging the success of spatial governance. It is present in most spatial policy objectives and many scholars describe it as the ultimate goal of spatial governance. The question remains, however, whether the construct of the quality of life is explored in sufficient depth to understand its practical relevance within widely divergent African contexts. Africa is notorious for its low levels of life quality and many scholars argue that research on its difficulties is not focalized and conclusions are too often drawn without truly considering the unique African context. To discover the extent of the current knowledge base on African life quality, African-specific case study research was identified and analyzed. A systematic literature review was conducted following the textual narrative synthesis approach. The analysis revealed a geographically sparsely distributed knowledge base of urban African quality of life. Further to this, a wide variety of research themes were identified, ranging from socio-economic, physical, and environmental characteristics to strategic planning and sustainable development. This sparsely distributed knowledge base, along with the wide variety of research themes and the undefined nature of the quality of life, makes it difficult to compare the case studies. The paper, subsequently, calls for further case study research to enable a true understanding of the association and meaning of quality of life within the African context that would ultimately support appropriate development of measurements in urban Africa.

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Quality of Urban Life and Its Relationship to Spatial Conditions

Cited by 11 publications

References 0 publications

Networks of need: a geospatial analysis of secondary cities

Networks of need: a geospatial analysis of secondary cities

Identifying the Impact of Social Capital on Quality of Urban Life (Evidence from Iran)

Academic Knowledge on Quality of Life in Urban Africa: What Do We Know?

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