Quantifying Life Quality as Walkability on Urban Networks: The Case of Budapest

Abstract

Life quality in cities is deeply related to the mobility options, and how easily one can access different services and attractions. The pedestrian infrastructure network provides the backbone for social life in cities. While there are many approaches to quantify life quality, most do not take specifically into account the walkability of the city, and rather offer a city-wide measure. Here we develop a data-driven, network-based method to quantify the liveability of a city. We introduce a life quality index (LQI) based on pedestrian accessibility to amenities and services, safety and environmental variables. Our computational approach outlines novel ways to measure life quality in a more granular scale, that can become valuable for urban planners, city officials and stakeholders. We apply data-driven methods to Budapest, but as having an emphasis on the online and easily available quantitative data, the methods can be generalized and applied to any city.

Appendices

Appendix

A Secondary Data Sources

• Sport associations in Budapest [56]

• Kindergartens, daycares, primary and secondary education [57]

• Art and music schools [58]

• Child health services [59]

• Social welfare system (eg.: elderly care) [60]

• Culture centers [61]

• Indoor playgrounds [62]

• Healthcare (hospitals, private and public clinics, specialists) [63]

• Fitness and training facilities [64]

• Outdoor fitness facilities [65]

• Thermal baths and spa [66]

• Playgrounds and parks [67]

B Weights Used in the Calculations

The weights of the different Q indices in the final aggregation as well as in sub-categories highly depends on the context and the nature of the problem. Here we present the values we used to generate the results of this study, that were agreed upon consulting with experts. The weights of the sub-indices from Eq. (1) are of the following values:

$w^{services}=0.7$

$w^{safety}=0.1$

$w^{environment}=0.2$

The category weights used in Eq. (2), aggregating $Q^{services}$ are:

$w^{family}= 0.3$;

$w^{health}= 0.3$;

$w^{culture} = 0.15$;

$w^{sport} = 0.15$;

$w^{night life}=0.1$;