Urban liveability: sustainability, quality of life and wellbeing

Dr Mags Adams, Lecturer in Geography, School of Environment & Life Sciences

In 2003 geographer Michael Pacione stated that ‘in contrast to the objective definition of urban environmental quality urban liveability is a relative rather than absolute term whose precise meaning depends on the place, time and purpose of the assessment, and on the value system of the assessor’ (Pacione, 2003). Since this, discourses of urban liveability range from adherence to objective indicators that set out to assess the ‘best’ and ‘worst’ places to live (Economist Intelligence Unit, 2012), through a focus on identifying key performance indictors that assess a city’s vitality and viability (Balsas, 2004), to critiques that identify the ways in which urban liveability is increasingly discussed, measured and advocated at a city-regional scale (McCann, 2007).

74% of the UK’s population live in urban areas and this is expected to reach 92.2% by 2030; additionally, 78% of UK jobs are in cities (HM Gov, 2011). What constitutes urban liveability is a mixture of social, economic and physical factors and relates to the degree of congruence or dissonance between city dwellers and their urban surroundings (Pacione, 2009). Maintaining a focus on urban liveability enables consideration of how cities might grow in ways that are sustainable and enhance quality of life and wellbeing. Recent literature on urban sustainability, urban liveability, low carbon urban futures, urban resilience, urban adaptation, urban quality of life and wellbeing, all focus on elements of how cities respond to external drivers of change. How are these intertwined concepts related and what are the benefits of reframing questions about people’s relationships with the build environment through these different lenses?

This research will ask some fundamental questions about the relationship between people and their everyday urban environments: about how urban environmental quality is understood and experienced; about how urban liveability is defined and framed; about the way that policy engages with people and their behaviours and practices; about how concepts such as sustainability, quality and wellbeing are configured within the idea of urban liveability; about how movements of people and artefacts shape and are shaped by urban form and the effects of this on sustainability and wellbeing; about the role of urban design in creating a sense of place and identity and what this means for producing liveable places; about how social practices are configured in urban policy.

• Work will include a comprehensive review of literature on urban liveability and the relationship with concepts such as sustainability, quality of life, wellbeing, urban adaptation and resilience.
• A pilot study will help identify the specific location and focus of the research, shaped by the student’s and supervisor’s interests– whether to focus on mobility, urban design, soundscapes, green spaces.
• The research will draw on a range of qualitative research methods which might include, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, sensory methodologies, digital methods and will necessitate recruiting participants from a range of backgrounds which might include service providers and policy makers, urban design professionals, local residents etc.
• The research will provide a longitudinal study of urban liveability over a three year period.

References:

• Balsas, C.J.L (2004) Measuring the livability of an urban centre: an exploratory study of key performance indicators. Planning Practice & Research, 19(1): 101-110
• Economist Intelligence Unit (2012) Global liveability report. Economist
• HM Government (2011) Unlocking growth in cities. HM Government: London
• McCann, E.J (2007) Inequality and Politics in the Creative City-Region: Questions of Livability and State Strategy. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 31(1): 188-196
• Pacione, M (2003)Urban environmental quality and human wellbeing—a social geographical perspective. Landscape and Urban Planning 65: 19–30
• Pacione, M (2009) Urban geography: a global perspective. Routledge: London

For further information please contact: m.adams@salford.ac.uk

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