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ABSTRACT
This study focuses on the relative importance for resident’s wellbeing of different attributes of the living environment, namely urban typology, population density, green space type, green space quality, community and security, in the context of urban depopulation. The study used conjoint analysis, a methodology for comparing preferences, in three neighbourhoods in the Portuguese capital city. A total of 130 participants were recruited to take part in this study, based on whether their residential neighbourhood was growing in population (N = 49) or depopulating (N = 44); or whether they were searching for a new house at the moment (N = 37). The results showed that residents of depopulating neighbourhoods value the presence of a friendly community more than the other participants and were less negative about high population densities. House buyers valued environments with good quality green spaces significantly more than the other two groups. These findings suggest that a friendlier community and the quality of its green spaces are key attributes in encouraging current dwellers to remain, and in attracting new residents to move in. These two attributes are known to be relevant factors for overall citizens’ quality of life, health and wellbeing; they should, therefore, be given particular consideration in any intervention in depopulating contexts.
Acknowledgments
We acknowledge the financial support of Portugal’s Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia for this study and Sawtooth Ltd. for sponsoring this research by providing a free academic licence to sawtooth software.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Additional information
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Notes on contributors
M. Francisca Lima
M. Francisca Lima is a lecturer at Edinburgh College of Art, where she currently teaches history and theory of landscape architecture. In 2016, she obtained her PhD from ESALA – University of Edinburgh – which focused on the impacts of urban depopulation, with a full scholarship from the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation. Before her doctoral project, Francisca had been collaborating with several Portuguese landscape design offices, as well as with the Philosophy Centre and LEAF Research Centre, University of Lisbon. In 2005, Francisca completed her degree in Landscape Architecture at the University of Lisbon, developing a final dissertation on ‘Landscape Aesthetics’.
Catharine Ward Thompson
Catharine Ward Thompson is Professor of Landscape Architecture at the Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (ESALA), and Director of the OPENspace research centre. Her research focuses on inclusive access to outdoor environments, environment-behaviour interactions, landscape design for older people, children and teenagers, and salutogenic environments. Catharine also has expertise in the history and theory of urban park design and conservation, the history of landscape design, and landscape aesthetics and perception.She was Head of the School of Landscape Architecture at Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) from 1989-2000 and continues to teach at all levels.
Peter Aspinall
Peter Aspinall is Associate Director of OPENspace research centre and an Honorary Professor in the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. He is also Emeritus Professor of Environmental Studies at Heriot-Watt University and an Honorary Fellow in Clinical Science at the University of Edinburgh. Peter has an MSc in psychology and a PhD in ophthalmology from The University of Edinburgh and has held an honorary fellowship in ophthalmology for over 30 years. A central theme of his research is visual function and behaviour, visual fields and colour. Prior to moving to Heriot-Watt University, he was also Director of Research at ECA.
Simon Bell
Simon Bell, PhD, is Associate Director of the OPENspace Research Centre at Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh and Chair professor of Landscape Architecture at the Estonian University of Life Sciences (Tartu, Estonia). Originally a forester (B.Sc., Forestry, University of Wales) he took a MPhil (University of Edinburgh) and PhD in landscape architecture (Estonian University of Life Sciences). His wide-ranging research interests include landscape perception, health and well-being, outdoor recreation, forestry landscapes and Soviet heritage. He also co-directs the MSc in Landscape and Well-being in Edinburgh College of Art and supervises many PhD students in landscape architecture.