The Inter-Relationships of Territorial Quality of Life with Residential Expansion and Densification: A Case Study of Regions in EU Member Countries
High-density urban development is promoted by both global and local policies in response to socio-economic and environmental challenges since it increases mobility of different land uses, decreases the need for traveling, encourages the use of more energy-efficient buildings and modes of transportat...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-03-01
|
| Series: | Urban Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/8/1/22 |
| _version_ | 1797239179301617664 |
|---|---|
| author | Eda Ustaoglu Brendan Williams |
| author_facet | Eda Ustaoglu Brendan Williams |
| author_sort | Eda Ustaoglu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | High-density urban development is promoted by both global and local policies in response to socio-economic and environmental challenges since it increases mobility of different land uses, decreases the need for traveling, encourages the use of more energy-efficient buildings and modes of transportation, and permits the sharing of scarce urban amenities. It is therefore argued that increased density and mixed-use development are expected to deliver positive outcomes in terms of contributing to three pillars (social, economic, and environmental domains) of sustainability in the subject themes. Territorial quality of life (TQL)—initially proposed by the ESPON Programme—is a composite indicator of the socio-economic and environmental well-being and life satisfaction of individuals living in an area. Understanding the role of urban density in TQL can provide an important input for urban planning debates addressing whether compact development can be promoted by referring to potential efficiencies in high-density, mixed land use and sustainable transport provisions. Alternatively, low-density suburban development is preferable due to its benefits of high per capita land use consumption (larger houses) for individual households given lower land prices. There is little empirical evidence on how TQL is shaped by high-density versus low-density urban forms. This paper investigates this topic through providing an approach to spatially map and examine the relationship between TQL, residential expansion, and densification processes in the so-called NUTS2 (nomenclature of terrestrial units for statistics) regions of European Union (EU) member countries. The relative importance of each TQL indicator was determined through the entropy weight method, where these indicators were aggregated through using the subject weights to obtain the overall TQL indicator. The spatial dynamics of TQL were examined and its relationship with residential expansion and densification processes was analysed to uncover whether the former or the latter process is positively associated with the TQL indicator within our study area. From our regression models, the residential expansion index is negatively related to the TQL indicator, implying that high levels of residential expansion can result in a reduction in overall quality of life in the regions if they are not supported by associated infrastructure and facility investments. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T17:47:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-91d2750912d2450d9d0e29fd35fc9403 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2413-8851 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T17:47:25Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Urban Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-91d2750912d2450d9d0e29fd35fc94032024-03-27T14:06:48ZengMDPI AGUrban Science2413-88512024-03-01812210.3390/urbansci8010022The Inter-Relationships of Territorial Quality of Life with Residential Expansion and Densification: A Case Study of Regions in EU Member CountriesEda Ustaoglu0Brendan Williams1Department of Economics, Abdullah Gul University, 38080 Kayseri, TürkiyeSchool of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, IrelandHigh-density urban development is promoted by both global and local policies in response to socio-economic and environmental challenges since it increases mobility of different land uses, decreases the need for traveling, encourages the use of more energy-efficient buildings and modes of transportation, and permits the sharing of scarce urban amenities. It is therefore argued that increased density and mixed-use development are expected to deliver positive outcomes in terms of contributing to three pillars (social, economic, and environmental domains) of sustainability in the subject themes. Territorial quality of life (TQL)—initially proposed by the ESPON Programme—is a composite indicator of the socio-economic and environmental well-being and life satisfaction of individuals living in an area. Understanding the role of urban density in TQL can provide an important input for urban planning debates addressing whether compact development can be promoted by referring to potential efficiencies in high-density, mixed land use and sustainable transport provisions. Alternatively, low-density suburban development is preferable due to its benefits of high per capita land use consumption (larger houses) for individual households given lower land prices. There is little empirical evidence on how TQL is shaped by high-density versus low-density urban forms. This paper investigates this topic through providing an approach to spatially map and examine the relationship between TQL, residential expansion, and densification processes in the so-called NUTS2 (nomenclature of terrestrial units for statistics) regions of European Union (EU) member countries. The relative importance of each TQL indicator was determined through the entropy weight method, where these indicators were aggregated through using the subject weights to obtain the overall TQL indicator. The spatial dynamics of TQL were examined and its relationship with residential expansion and densification processes was analysed to uncover whether the former or the latter process is positively associated with the TQL indicator within our study area. From our regression models, the residential expansion index is negatively related to the TQL indicator, implying that high levels of residential expansion can result in a reduction in overall quality of life in the regions if they are not supported by associated infrastructure and facility investments.https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/8/1/22high- and low-density developmentterritorial quality of life (TQL)entropy weight methodurban sustainabilityEU member countries |
| spellingShingle | Eda Ustaoglu Brendan Williams The Inter-Relationships of Territorial Quality of Life with Residential Expansion and Densification: A Case Study of Regions in EU Member Countries Urban Science high- and low-density development territorial quality of life (TQL) entropy weight method urban sustainability EU member countries |
| title | The Inter-Relationships of Territorial Quality of Life with Residential Expansion and Densification: A Case Study of Regions in EU Member Countries |
| title_full | The Inter-Relationships of Territorial Quality of Life with Residential Expansion and Densification: A Case Study of Regions in EU Member Countries |
| title_fullStr | The Inter-Relationships of Territorial Quality of Life with Residential Expansion and Densification: A Case Study of Regions in EU Member Countries |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Inter-Relationships of Territorial Quality of Life with Residential Expansion and Densification: A Case Study of Regions in EU Member Countries |
| title_short | The Inter-Relationships of Territorial Quality of Life with Residential Expansion and Densification: A Case Study of Regions in EU Member Countries |
| title_sort | inter relationships of territorial quality of life with residential expansion and densification a case study of regions in eu member countries |
| topic | high- and low-density development territorial quality of life (TQL) entropy weight method urban sustainability EU member countries |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/8/1/22 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT edaustaoglu theinterrelationshipsofterritorialqualityoflifewithresidentialexpansionanddensificationacasestudyofregionsineumembercountries AT brendanwilliams theinterrelationshipsofterritorialqualityoflifewithresidentialexpansionanddensificationacasestudyofregionsineumembercountries AT edaustaoglu interrelationshipsofterritorialqualityoflifewithresidentialexpansionanddensificationacasestudyofregionsineumembercountries AT brendanwilliams interrelationshipsofterritorialqualityoflifewithresidentialexpansionanddensificationacasestudyofregionsineumembercountries |