Αποτίμηση της ποιότητας ζωής των περιοχών μόνιμης κατοικίας σε μονάδες τοπικής αυτοδιοίκησης : το παράδειγμα του Δήμου Κατερίνης

Περίληψη

In recent years there has been an increasing interest from governments and global organizations for the quality of life. Moreover, improving quality of life is the goal of several policies while its assessment has proven a powerful tool for enhancing and supporting the decision-making process related to the improvement of a specific area's residents life.
Quality of life is a broad concept which includes a set of dimensions that cover a wide range of people's characteristics and the environment they live in. More specifically, it is a multidisciplinary field of research (psychology, human, social, environmental and health sciences etc.). Each scientific field has developed different approaches to study quality of life. Therefore, in modern academic research there is no consistent and widely accepted way of assessing quality of life.
The purpose of this study is to assess the quality of life that is provided by space, and particularly local government units, as areas of permanent residence, using Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
Initially, in the methodology that was followed, the parameters of the assessment were defined. These parameters concern the level of specificity and the domains of quality of life, the geographical scale, the reference time of the assessment, the types of variables to be used and the social groups in which research is focused.
After that, the variables that contribute to the assessment of quality of life were gathered, evaluated and selected. In the international literature many variables from a wide range of fields are identified. However, in this study the selection and evaluation of the variables was restricted to those assessing the environmental parameters of the residence area, such as the socio-economic profile of the region, the infrastructure of the area and the services it provides, the housing quality, the cultural environment and the quality of the natural environment.
In the next stage, the composite criteria that correspond to the above mentioned domains were designed. These criteria consist of weighted variables and indicators. Each composite criterion has been created by the use of analytical hierarchy process in order to attribute weights to each of the variables that make up the criteria.
The fourth step of the methodology is based on the use of GIS, which is an important tool for managing geographic information. Specifically, at this stage the assignment of variables to the spatial layer of the study area took place, as well as the creation of secondary variables
and the organization of geographic information in a GIS.
In the final stage of the methodology, the composite criteria were calculated with the use of GIS. As a result of modeling, the mapping of composite criteria was illustrated and hence the assessment of quality of life in residence areas. The characteristics that are identified, negative or positive, and the differences between spatial units, are elements that can greatly assist in planning policies and activities aiming at the improvement of the quality of  life of citizens.