Dimensions of Sustainability (AQA A Level Geography)

• Liveability can be defined as:

    'The level to which a place provides a suitable or good space to live in’

• It is usually measured by factors such as safety, cultural, environmental and social quality, access to community facilities, shops and services and levels of freedom as perceived by residents, workers, customers and visitors to the area

Factors Used by People

• The Economist Intelligence Unit publishes an annual Global Liveability Index which quantifies the challenges presented to an individual’s lifestyle and quality of life in 173 cities
• The Index is based on 5 broad categories:
  • Stability
  • Healthcare
  • Culture and environment
  • Education
  • Infrastructure

In 2022, lessened covid-19 restrictions and the Ukraine Crisis contributed to shifting trends in the most liveable cities and overall standards of living. Higher scoring cities are in regions where vaccination rates are higher, and cities with lower quality of life assessments are where war is prevalent. The Economist Intelligence Unit 2023

• Every city is assigned a rating of relative comfort for over 30 qualitative and quantitative factors
• Each factor is rated as acceptable, tolerable, uncomfortable, undesirable or intolerable
• Scores are weighted and then given a total score out of 100

Top and Bottom Two Ranked Cities of 2019 and 2022

*In 2019 the Index only covered 140 cities

• The liveability of a place has a direct impact on the people who live, work, or visit the area
• Popular areas to live and work in (high liveability), property values and business activity tends to be higher, as people compete to locate there
• Neighbourhoods perceived to have low levels of liveability generally have cheaper housing because people are less likely to choose it as a place in which to live

• Sustainability is the ability to meet the needs of today without compromising the needs of tomorrow
• In other words, making the best use of current resources, protecting the environment, controlling growth of the built environment and limiting waste
• The concept of true sustainability is not possible at present, but good planning and management contributes towards that goal
• Urban sustainability falls under the following:
  • Physical and natural - nature has limits, and communities (people are also part of naturel) are responsible for protecting and building natural assets
  • Economic - should be for the common good, be self-renewing, build local value and self-reliance
  • Social - opportunity for full participation in all activities and benefits of a society
  • Political and governance - inclusion and consultation in decision-making of the city, clear leadership and management, government is open and transparent