AI Article Synopsis

  • The quality of a neighborhood significantly impacts residents' overall quality of life and health, especially as urbanization increases.
  • A study analyzed survey data from over 2,000 adults in Finland, finding that 80% viewed their neighborhoods as liveable, with key factors being socioeconomic status, urban location, green views, and satisfaction with safety and green spaces.
  • The research emphasizes the importance of involving residents in neighborhood decision-making to enhance perceptions of liveability, with only minor effects seen from residents being more settled in their neighborhoods.

Article Abstract

Quality of residential area, or neighborhood, is one determinant of overall quality of life and associated with health and health behavior. Ensuring that urban and suburban neighborhoods remain liveable and comfortable to reside in is a challenge amidst growing urbanization. Neighborhood quality has been associated with socio-demographic, dwelling-related, and subjective and objective neighborhood factors. However, only a few studies have additionally included participation in neighborhood decision-making and examined whether these associations are stronger among residents who are more settled in the neighborhood. We examined whether subjectively and objectively measured environmental factors and participation are associated with perception of neighborhood liveability and possible effect moderators. We analyzed survey data collected in 2021 among adults (aged 18-97) living in suburbs and urban centers in five Finnish cities (n = 2057; response rate 34%) with logistic regression models. Almost 80% of the respondents perceived their neighborhood as liveable or very liveable. The following factors were most strongly associated with perceiving the neighborhood as liveable: low area-level socioeconomic deprivation; central urban zone; green view from home; satisfaction with neighborhood safety, green areas, blue areas, and maintenance of traffic routes; and good or very good possibilities to influence decisions regarding the neighborhood. Only a few interactions between indicators of being more settled in the neighborhood (e.g., age group and dwelling ownership) modified these associations. In all, our study suggests that to maintain liveability, urban or community planning should consider local residents' favorable perceptions of safety, recreational areas, and engagement in decision-making.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11652550PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11524-024-00927-yDOI Listing

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