An Evaluation of Residents’ Quality of Life through Neighborhood Satisfaction in Malaysia

Abstract

Recently, the quality of life studies have drawn the attention of environmental designers, urban planners, and policy makers, due to its usefulness in assessing the overall satisfaction of citizens with life, and monitoring public policies. Even so, the importance of the neighborhood environment remains the most fundamental base of life. People spend the majority of their lives in the neighborhood that influences their economic and social life. Consequently, satisfaction with the neighborhood features is an imperative indicator of the neighborhood quality, which affects residents’ quality of life. The aim of this study is to evaluate an urban neighborhood attributes in Kuala Lumpur city center, Malaysia. A questionnaire survey was used in this study in order to measure residents’ satisfaction based on the six factors, namely social life, good condition for children, security and safety, greenery and quietness, transport, and community facilities and services. The findings of the study indicated that, the residents were extremely satisfied with their quality of life in the city center area. On the satisfaction level, neighborhood physical features particularly proximity to the facilities pertained to the most satisfied aspects, while safety was considered the least one. In conclusion, this study has an implication for the policy makers and urban planners to construct and develop sustainable neighborhoods through residents’ own assessment in order to enhance their quality of life.