A Perception Survey for the Evaluation of Urban Quality of Life in Kocaeli and a Comparison of the Life Satisfaction with the European Cities

Studies on urban quality of life (QoL) have been attracting lots of attention from various countries due to the deterioration of urban environment and decrease of the urban QoL. These studies that have been supported by international organizations such as United Nations, World Bank, OECD, European Commission and EUROSTAT (European Statistics) involve comparative assessment of life satisfaction in the European cities and comparing cities facilitate the exchange of experiment and improve the quality of local policies. The main objective of this study is to measure the local perceptions of QoL in Kocaeli, which is one of the important industrial cities of Turkey and compare the life satisfaction with the European cities. Generally, two different types of indicators have been used: objective and subjective indicators. The objective indicators cover five fields: socio-economic aspects, participation in civic life, education and training, environment and culture, and leisure. The subjective indicators are mainly for valuation of QoL perceptions in a city. In this research, a perception survey will be carried out to measure the local perceptions of QoL in Kocaeli. This survey will present on issues for which the residents in the Kocaeli had widely diverging opinions: employment opportunities, housing costs, safety, cleanliness of city, public transport, air quality and overall satisfaction with the QoL of their city. Thus, the study will become a major reference for local officials to improve QoL in Kocaeli and contribute to researches on QoL in cities.     

Quality of Life and Well-Being Ranking of Selected Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,Pakistan

Quality of life (QoL) is a multidimensional concept encompassing many aspects of an individual’s existence. It is not just a measure of material resources but of intangible environments which affect quality of life. The study concentrates on the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, and looks at the QoL and well-being in thirteen districts representing the province’s major population. It followed an integrative approach to measuring quality of life. Principal component analysis was used to tackle with multidimensionality. Weighted factor scores were used as an index for ranking QoL and well-being on the basis of social indicators chosen in different life domains. The results show that districts having high urban disposition top the ranks in QoL in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, like Peshawar, Mardan, Swat and Charsadda, while Bannu, Kohat and Lower Dir fall amongst the bottom districts in terms of QoL. The rural/urban ranking also follows similar patterns with a few exceptions.     

Variability of Quality of Life at Small Scales: Addis Ababa,Kirkos Sub-City

Urban quality of life (QoL) is becoming a subject of urban research mainly for western and Asian countries. Such attention is due to an increasing awareness of the contribution of QoL studies in identifying intervention areas and in monitoring urban planning policies. However, most studies are carried out at city or country level that can average out details at small scales. In this paper we present a case study where the urban QoL at small scale is measured and its variability is evaluated for Kirkos sub-city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The study is based on data from a household survey and some secondary data. Geographic information system (GIS) is applied to extract proximity information (e.g., distance to school facilities) and visualize the spatial distribution of QoL. Statistical methods such as factor analysis are applied to establish an index of objective QoL while coefficient of variation is applied to evaluate spatial variability of subjective QoL. The results of this study reveal that the subjective quality of life (QoL) scores show large variation in the sub-city. The mean QoL score also indicates that the respondents in the sub-city, on average, are dissatisfied with the quality of their life. Respondents with higher education level and income are on average, however, more satisfied with their QoL in the sub-city. The results reveal that the lower the QoL in the Kebele, the larger the variability of QoL within the Kebele. Such indicates how aggregation at large scale can average out the variation of QoL at small scales. The results reveal the presence of QoL variability at small scales. The comparison between the subjective and the objective QoL at Kebele level indicated a state of dissonance, adaptation, deprivation or well-being. Such results suggest that the two measures do not always indicate the same level of QoL.     

Mediating Effects Between Objective and Subjective Indicators of Urban Quality of Life: Testing Specific Models for Safety and Access

Enhancing the urban quality of life (QoL) is an explicit policy goal of many countries, yet it is rarely studied using models that relate objective measures of the urban environment to the subjective evaluations of residents. It thus often remains unclear how planning interventions in the urban environment may influence residents’ satisfaction with their living conditions. In particular, during periods of significant urban growth, such as those recently observed in Switzerland, which result in diverse, unwanted threats to the local QoL (e.g., loss of green spaces, traffic congestions, and fear of crime). This study uses data from a sample of 1,693 residents that participated in a postal survey about urban QoL. The responses were combined with objective attributes of residential conditions, using geographic information systems. Structural equation models were calibrated to examine the direct and indirect effects of important indicators of urban QoL, namely safety in public spaces and access to central urban facilities. The study sheds further light on the mediating effects between objective characteristics and subjective evaluations that influence the urban QoL. The results showed predominantly low correlations between objective characteristics and subjective evaluations of urban QoL, which confirmed the findings of the few previous studies on this topic. Surprisingly, this study also found a strong link between objective access and perceived accessibility. This relation was explained by the spatial scope of the study region and suggested that the scale discordance theory should be tested in future research. The findings implied that variations in objective measures do not reliably represent differences as evaluated by residents.     

就业迁移的人力资本差别效应——以长三角为例

随着我国城市化的快速发展,人口迁移流动在城市社会生活中的影响日益突出。人口迁移流动必然引起“人”自身所拥有的人力资本的动态配置。文章主要利用2000年全国第五次人口普查迁移数据等有关数据资料,分析长三角16城市就业迁移的人力资本差别效应。研究发现,就业迁移对长三角各城市人力资本具有显著的差别效应,并且长三角内的就业迁移与长三角外的就业迁移对长三角各城市人力资本提升或稀释效应也有明显差别。研究还发现,就业迁移导致长三角人力资本城际差异缩小,尤以上海与其他15城市的差距缩小更为明显。     

流动人口在城市劳动力市场中的地位:三群体研究

关于流动人口在城市劳动力市场中的地位问题,过去已有大量文献,但研究重点是农民工。这里把外来市民纳入观察视野,利用2008年"迁移和流动劳动力与中国大城市发展"调查数据,分析工资收入和社会保险参与的影响因素。主要研究发现:在工资收入上,不同户籍身份劳动者之间没有净差异;在养老保险和工伤保险参与上,本市居民、外来市民和农民工参与的可能性依次递减。这意味着,工资收入已经基本上由劳动力市场决定,而社会保险参与依然与户籍身份有关。不过,这种关联方式已经从过去的城乡户籍身份歧视转向本地/非本地权益差异。     

The Perceived Role of ICTs in Quality of Life in Three Chinese Cities

This study assesses the perceived role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) including the Internet, mobile telephone, CD/MD/MP3, television and VCR/VCD/DVD in raising quality of life (QoL). A comparison is made between three Chinese cities, namely, Beijing, Taipei and Hong Kong, to see if differences exist in the perceived value of various forms of ICTs in the three cities, which share Chinese culture but different levels of development. Household interviews with probability samples were conducted in the three cities in 2002–2003. The findings show that the Internet and mobile phone are considered as the most and second most important medium respectively in raising quality of life in all three cities, while television ranks third and other ICTs trail behind. Based on the findings, the authors advance four propositions for the perceived role of ICTs in QoL. First, there are four basic needs related to ICT’s role in QoL. These “ICT-QoL” needs are the need for interaction, need for being in touch, need for instantaneous communication, and need for entertainment. Second, people’s assessment of an ICT’s value in raising their QoL varies with the penetration rate of that ICT—the higher the penetration, the more positive is the assessment of that ICT’s role in QoL. Third, the perceived value of an ICT in QoL declines with time—the longer the ICT has been around after reaching full penetration rate, the lower the value is attached to its contribution to QoL. Finally, education has strong influences on the assessment of the Internet’s role in QoL. Highly educated people tend to value the Internet most as a QoL raiser irrespective of the city they reside in. As a QoL raiser, the Internet is favored more by highly educated while mobile and fixed phone are favored more by lowly educated people.     

The Assessment of Quality of Life in Transitional Neighborhoods

Quality of life (QoL) is being considered as one of the fundamental concepts in contemporary era. It tries to assess the level of general welfare of the communities. Urban transitional neighborhoods possess specific situation and as a result present distinctive QoL. The major objective of this study is to identify and measure the QoL dimensions in urban transitional neighborhoods using both objective and subjective indices pertaining to Darvazeshemiran neighborhood of Tehran. In order to accomplish this and gather needed data, 244 questionnaires were distributed among Darvazeshemiran’s residents. This study suggests that there exists low level of QoL in the study area. That is 64.3 % of the residents were dissatisfied with the prevailing level of QoL. This in turn is associated with the transitional nature of this neighborhood. The residents were strongly dissatisfied with regard to the environmental qualification as opposed to accessibility status. Furthermore, this study identified five objective factors respectively regarding QoL. There exists low correlation between subjective and objective dimensions. That demands simultaneous consideration of both objective and subjective dimensions. It is argued that individual treatments of each could not accurately represent the QoL of residents.     

Urban temporary out-migration under economic reforms: Who moves and for what reasons?

Studies of temporary migration in developing countries often focus on rural outmigration and are preoccupied with problems it may bring to cities. Using a unique data set from two surveys conducted in Zhejiang province, China, this paper examines the other side of the coin — temporary migration from urban places — and thereby provides an important complement to studies focusing on rural-urban migration. The analysis identifies three types of temporary migrations: on-business, economic, and family-related. Using multinomial logit model, the analysis suggests that the three types of temporary migration differ significantly from each other in both their causes and migrants' socioeconomic characteristics; so does urban-urban migration from urban-rural migration. The considerable urban-rural temporary migration attests to the fact that temporary migration is not a one-way process; its positive selectivity further indicates that a considerable human capital flows from urban to rural areas through urban-rural temporary migration, which provides rural areas much needed science and technology and becomes an important facilitating factor of rural socioeconomic development.This article is based on a paper, presented at the meetings of the American Sociological Association, Pittsburgh, August 1992.     

Quality of Life in the Economic and Urban Economic Literature

Quality of life (QoL) is increasingly becoming a concept researched empirically and theoretically in the field of economics. In urban economics in particular, this increasing interest stems mainly from the fact that QoL affects urban competitiveness and urban growth: research shows that when households and businesses decide where to locate, QoL considerations can play a very important role. The purpose of the present paper is to examine the way economic literature and urban economic literature in particular, have adopted QoL considerations in the economic thinking. Moreover, it presents the ways various studies have attempted to capture the multidimensional nature of the concept, and quantify it for the purposes of empirical research. Conclusions are drawn on the state of affairs regarding the study of QoL in economics, as well as the problems of measurement arising mainly from the complex nature of the concept.      

信息人力资本对农民工城市融合的影响：机理与实证①--以辽宁省农民工为例

本文基于2014年辽宁6县市农民工调查数据,运用 OLS 回归方法,实证分析了信息人力资本对农民工城市融合及其三个层面———经济融合、社会融合、心理融合的影响。结果发现,信息人力资本对农民工城市融合有正向显著的影响,对经济层面、社会层面的融合有显著的正向影响,对心理层面的融合影响不显著。此外,运用分位数回归方法分析了不同城市融合程度下,信息人力资本对城市融合的影响差异,发现在城市融合程度较低时,通过增加信息人力资本可以显著促进农民工城市融合。并运用结构方程模型进行稳健性检验,所得结果与 OLS 回归相吻合。相应的政策建议：为促进农民工城市融合,应该根据不同人群特点,有针对性地加强农民工信息人力资本培训,提高他们信息人力资本水平。     

农村女性流动打工经历对其家庭经济地位的影响

本文利用调查数据,对是否外出打工及不同类型打工地的农村女性家庭经济地位差异进行对比,考查在资源因素与文化规范变迁的多重影响下,不同的打工经历对农村女性家庭经济地位的影响及其发展变化。     

长三角地区国内移民的总效果及对区域城市结构的影响

国内移民有两种形式,第一是长三角地区内部与地区外部的相互移民,第二是长三角地区内部不同城市之间的移民,在此基础上研究城市群空间结构的基本状况和演变。研究表明,长三角地区的城市体系正逐步强化以上海、南京、杭州、苏州和宁波为核心的5个城市组团,并对长三角地区城市结构的未来演化做了初步分析,对区域发展的整体规划和区域移民政策提出一些分析思考。     

Evaluating Quality of Life in Urban Areas (Case Study: Noorabad City, Iran)

Quality of urban life (QOUL) has become an important field within urban studies. The increased level of attention to this topic is due to the increasing importance of QoL studies in monitoring public policies and in the role they can play as effective tools in urban management and planning. The main objective of this study is to measure the QOUL in the town of Noorabad in Iran, using subjective and objective indicators. In addition to secondary datasets, this study relies on a perception survey of households in the selected city. Based on an 11-point Likert scale, the mean of the overall life satisfaction of the respondents was found to be 6.06. At the same time, it has been found that satisfaction from employment opportunities is lowest among all other indicators. The comparison between the subjective and objective QoL in Noorabad indicated that 25 % of the households are in a state of well-being, 30.1 % are in a state of deprivation, while 24.4 % are in dissonance and 20.4 % are in a state of adaptation. Although correlation between objective and subjective dimensions of the QoL has not been found to be high, in general, the findings of this study reveal the importance of simultaneous studying of both objective and subjective dimensions of QoL. Results and findings of this study will be useful in designing and implementing future policies in the town of Noorabad.     

人力资本投资、产业结构升级与城市就业的动态关系研究——基于全国270个地级及以上城市的面板VAR模型

本文基于2001—2012年全国270个地级及以上城市的面板数据,采用面板VAR模型,对人力资本投资、产业结构升级与城市就业之间的动态关系进行面板单位根检验、面板Granger检验、面板数据的脉冲响应和方差分解。结果发现,在我国东、中、西部地区人力资本投资、产业结构升级与城市就业的关系具有差异性,但是不论东、中还是西部地区,人力资本投资对就业的贡献度均大于产业结构升级对就业的贡献度。要推动不同城市实现稳定就业,人力资本投资比产业结构升级政策可能会更加有效。因此,应加大城市的人力资本投资力度,充分发挥人力资本投资的传导机制,实现人力资本投资、产业结构升级与城市就业的良性循环。     

Growth of small and intermediate cities in Korea, 1975-1980

"This paper examines the urban growth of 33 small and intermediate Korean cities during 1975-1980 from the ecological perspective. Using the multiple regression analysis, population growth of a city is measured by variables such as industrial structure, distance from a metropolitan city, and educational level of residents in a corresponding city. At the present development stage in Korea, those cities whose industrial structure is more specialized in the transformative sector rather than other sectors have grown more rapidly. The closeness to a metropolitan city and the educational level of residents for each city strongly influence urban growth of small cities."     

Public Green Space Use and Consequences on Urban Vitality: An Assessment of European Cities

The promotion of quality of life is becoming ever more important in a scenario of regional, national and even international competition among cities, triggered by globalization. Public sites, and green spaces in particular, which are available in varying extent in all urban areas, can bring important benefits to urban vitality and, as a consequence, to quality of life. However, cities are intricate entities and measuring their success in converting the potential for public green space usage into increased quality of life is a difficult task. In order to contribute to the objective of assessing the potential for public green space use, and its consequences on urban vitality, we applied the Data Envelopment Analysis technique to assess a total of 174 European cities. The results detect the best performing cities, and for the cities considered inefficient, a set of benchmarks is identified, whose best practices can be copied to support efforts of performance improvement.     

Networks Versus Need: Drivers of Urban Out-Migration in the Brazilian Amazon

As urbanization rates rise globally, it becomes increasingly important to understand the factors associated with urban out-migration. In this paper, we examine the drivers of urban out-migration among young adults in two medium-sized cities in the Brazilian Amazon—Altamira and Santarém—focusing on the roles of social capital, human capital, and socioeconomic deprivation. Using household survey data from 1,293 individuals in the two cities, we employ an event history model to assess factors associated with migration and a binary logit model to understand factors associated with remitting behavior. We find that in Altamira, migration tends to be an individual-level opportunistic strategy fostered by extra-local family networks, while in Santarém, migration tends to be a household-level strategy driven by socioeconomic deprivation and accompanied by remittances. These results indicate that urban out-migration in Brazil is a diverse social process, and that the relative roles of extra-local networks versus economic need can function quite differently between geographically proximate but historically and socioeconomically distinct cities.