VIRTUAL Barcelona Livable Cities

Abstract

This paper is culled from the author’s dissertation. It proposes an operational definition of livability to mean: “meeting people’s needs according to the quality of environment they want”. It also provides proof of its practicality as a tool for attaining social sustainability at the neighborhood level. The study adopted a qualitative, grounded theory research design. Six case studies were chosen to capture varied climatic and cultural contexts that may be influential in determining robust neighborhood livability criteria. Two neighborhoods each were selected for the cities of Gold Coast, Australia — a subtropical city with an emerging multi-cultural population; Wellington, New Zealand — a temperate city with a multicultural population; and Quezon City, Philippines — a tropical city with a relatively homogeneous population. Analysis of the data from the study suggests that there are a different set of factors that lead to neighborhood satisfaction, mainly physical, while certain non-physical factors lead to neighborhood dissatisfaction. The data also underlined the claim that neighborhoods should be viewed in their own unique contexts. The study also demonstrated how neighborhood livability depends on intervening factors such as the residents’ values, lifestyles, and/or external factors, which are subject to change. This realization allows the conclusion that livability may be conceived as a dynamic zone of fit between people’s residential aspirations and the actual environment they live in.