Liveability Indicators

Problem Description

Research consistently shows that the quality of our living environment affects health, well-being and social cohesion. As a result, creating a high quality, liveable environment is a key challenge for policymakers, spatial planners, and urban developers.

This research project examines the relationship between:

1. Objective liveability indicators (based on administrative registration data)
2. Subjective liveability experiences (based on street interviews with residents and visitors)

Methodological Framework

Administrative data and street interview data are combined, linked, and visualised through GIS. In a second phase, liveability scores are connected to evolutions in real estate prices in the same neighbourhood.

Relevance for Practice

Mapping and visualising environmental quality using clear criteria offers added value for: local governments, investors and current and future residents. Additionally, analysing connections between environmental quality and property value supports discussions on housing rights and access to high quality living environments, aligned with SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.

Research Questions

The project addresses four central questions:

1. How can we quantify the environmental quality of Antwerp neighbourhoods into comparable scores, using both objective registration data and subjective perception indicators?
2. How do these scores relate to the lived experiences of residents?
3. Which visual methods and GIS tools enhance the understanding of environmental quality for citizens?
4. What can linking liveability indicators with real estate prices teach us about the relationship between environmental quality and property valuation?

At the start of this project, the data collection and data processing methodology developed previously is critically reviewed with external experts and then applied to a new Antwerp neighbourhood: De Stationsbuurt (the Station District).