Multi-perspective quality of life index for urban development analysis, example of the city of Brno, Czech Republic

Abstract

Urban system present dynamic systems, where many interactions take place and revealing deeper spatial relations of the urban system and the quality of life is a necessary part of decision-making process in sustainable urban development. The proposed multi-perspective index aims to evaluate the urban quality of life on the basis of five groups of factors and in combination with a cluster analysis it enables a deeper insight of the urban system and its spatial organization. The study is based on quantitative and publicly available data. In total 41 environmental, demographic, social, economic and technical indicators were included. The data used were collected with a clear methodology by official institutions, such as the Czech Statistical Office, the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, the Ministry of Health and the European Union's Earth observation programme Copernicus. Using these kinds of data sources ensures the feasibility and transferability of the method to other cities in the Czech Republic but also to other countries, where data on a similar basis are collected. The case study of Brno, Czech Republic, helped to identify disparities in living conditions among the city districts. The influence of historical city development on the quality of life was revealed using cluster analysis.