Definition
Livability can be defined as the “quality of life” as experienced by the member of the community or a city. Here, livability is seen as improving the economic, social, cultural, and environmental well-being of present and future residents (Timmer and Seymoar 2005). In urban areas livability can be seen as principles that promote equity, dignity, accessibility, conviviality, participation, and empowerment. It can also be measured under three themes in a community, (1) social space, (2) talent attraction and retention as well as economic dynamism, and (3) the overall amenability. In 1997 Hahlweg defined livable city as (in Timmer and Seymoar 2005: xx):
A livable city is a city where I can have a healthy life and where I have the chance for easy mobility – by foot, by bicycle, by public transportation, and even by car where there is no other choice…The livable city is a city for all people. That means that the livable city should be attractive, worthwhile, safe for our...
References
AARP (2005) Livable communities: an evaluation guide. AARP Public Policy Institute
CLC (2014) Livable & sustainable cities: a framework. Centre for Livable Cities, Singapore
EIU (2012) Best cities ranking and report: a special report from the Economist Intelligence Unit. The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited
EIU (2018) The global liveability index 2018: a free overview. The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited
Herrman T, Lewis R (2015) What is livability? Sustainable cities initiative. University of Oregon
Lennard HL (1987) Principles for the livable city. In: Lennard SC, Lennard H (eds) Livable cities: people and places: social and design principles for the future of the city. Gondolier Press, Southampton
Ling C, Hamilton J, Thomas K (2006) What makes a city livable? Community Research Connections. https://crcresearch.org/case-studies/case-studies-sustainable-infrastructure/land-use-planning/what-makes-a-city-livable. Accessed 23 Feb 2018
NAP (2002) Community and quality of life: data needs for informed decision making. National Academy Press, Washington, DC
Salzano E (1997) Seven aims for the livable city. In Making Cities Livable eds SHC Lennard, S Ungern-Sternberg and HL Lennard pp.18-20. A Gondolier Press Book, Carmel, CA USA
Timmer V, Seymoar N (2005) The Livable City. The World Urban Forum 2006 – Vancouver working group discussion paper. International Centre for Sustainable Cities, Edmonton
UN-Habitat (2017) Urbanization and development: emerging futures. World cities report 2016, UN-Habitat, HS Number: HS/038/16E
Vaggione P, Ludher E (2014) In global practice: the CLC livability framework. In: Livable & sustainable cities: a framework. Centre for Livable Cities, Singapore
Wachsmuth D, Cohen DA, Angelo H (2016) Expand the frontiers of urban sustainability. Nature 536:391–393
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Roka, K. (2019). Liveable City: Towards Economic, Social, Cultural, and Environmental Well-being. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A., Brandli, L., Özuyar, P., Wall, T. (eds) Sustainable Cities and Communities. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71061-7_23-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71061-7_23-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71061-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71061-7
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences