Title: A framework for quality of life assessment of urban green areas in Europe: an application to District Park Reudnitz Leipzig

Authors: Eveline S. Van Leeuwen, Ron Vreeker, Caroline A. Rodenburg

Addresses: Department of Spatial Economics, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands. ' Department of Spatial Economics, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands. ' Department of Spatial Economics, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Abstract: In the last decade, we have seen, next to the concept of sustainability, the upsurge of the concept of quality of life, especially in urban regions. In this respect, the relation between quality of life and urban green is regarded as a positive one, and often described as significant. In order to improve the quality of life by means of urban green, decision makers need better information regarding the quantity and quality of urban green available in their city. The aim of this paper is to develop an evaluation framework that can be used in the assessment of urban green spaces by means of criteria linked to the notion of quality of life. This evaluation framework is built upon the multicriteria analysis method Flag Model and will be demonstrated by means of a case study. In this case study, the Leipzig |District Park Reudnitz| will be evaluated against a set of benchmark values related to policy objectives.

Keywords: urban green spaces; Flag Model; multicriteria analysis; quality of life indicators; decision making; environmental management; Germany; benchmarking; policy making; DSS; decision support systems.

DOI: 10.1504/IJETM.2006.008256

International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management, 2006 Vol.6 No.1/2, pp.111 - 122

Published online: 26 Nov 2005 *

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