Planning Cities4People–A body and soul analysis of urban neighbourhoods

Abstract

There is a growing interest among urban planners in identifying and reinforcing key features that differentiate a city from others. At a local level, neighbourhoods are increasingly positioned and branded, based on their distinguishing characteristics. Against this background this paper aims to contribute to a better governance of cities and urban neighbourhoods by pinpointing the determinants of citizens’ perceptions of urban quality of life. A conceptual model on neighbourhood love, comprising both body and soul constituents, is developed and empirically tested. The results show that the residents’ ‘love’ for their neighbourhood is significantly related to both its material and immaterial amenities.