Comprehensive Assessment of the Comfort of the Urban Environment

Journal of Environmental Treatment Techniques

2019, Special Issue on Environment, Management and Economy, Pages: 878-881

J. Environ. Treat. Tech.

ISSN: 2309-1185

Journal web link: http://www.jett.dormaj.com

Comprehensive Assessment of the Comfort of the

Urban Environment

Elena V. Maksyutina*, Anatolij N. Makarov, Veronika V. Sagaeva

Kazan Federal University, Naberezhnye Chelny Branch, Naberezhnye Chelny, Russia

Received: 13/09/2019

Accepted: 22/11/2019

Published: 20/12/2019

Abstract

The article deals with the study of the comfort of the urban environment in modern conditions of Russia. The research

discloses modern approaches to determining the essence and the main components of the comfort of the urban environment and

systematizes the most important indicators and methods for assessing the comfort of living of the city population. A

comprehensive assessment of the comfort of living in the city was carried out on the example of Naberezhnye Chelny of the

Republic of Tatarstan. A comprehensive assessment of the living comfort of the city population was carried out using the urban

environment quality index is calculated on the basis of 30 indicators. Each indicator is responsible for a certain type of urban

space and shows the degree of quality of the urban environment according to one of the criteria. This analysis made it possible to

identify the main directions for improving the mechanism of upgrading the comfort of living. The results of the assessment of the

urban environment quality index for cities of the Russian Federation showed that only 21% of cities were characterized as cities

with a favourable urban environment, and 79% - with an unfavourable urban environment. However, in case of successful

implementation of the measures provided for by the federal project “Formation of a Comfortable Urban Environment”, by 2021

the forecasted number of cities with a favourable urban environment should be 445 (40%), by 2024 - 667 (60%), that is, the

number of cities with an unfavourable urban environment in the Russian Federation will be halved.

Keywords: urban environment comfort, quality of life, territory improvement, urban environment quality index, urban

infrastructure

example, in international practice, the concept of quality of

Introduction

life (liveability or quality of living), similar in meaning to

the quality of the urban environment, is used. Almost all

interpretations of the quality of urban life include the

quality parameters of the urban environment (11-16).

In Russian practice, within the framework of the

priority project “Formation of a Comfortable Urban

Environment”, a definition is used that includes such

indicators as city maintenance, yard improvement, creation

and improvement of public territories. Based on this

interpretation, the main elements of the urban environment

are identified and presented in three categories:

The formation of a modern urban environment is one of

the urgent problems of landscaping, which requires a set of

measures aimed at creating conditions for providing

comfortable, safe, and affordable living conditions for

citizens. The objective of the study is a comprehensive

assessment of the comfort of the urban environment and the

subsequent development of measures to upgrade the

comfort of the population.

Methods

The research work of many domestic and foreign

1) The elements related to the territory and place of

researchers is devoted to the study of the development

processes of urban entities, the problems of urban

environment comfort, among which are the works by such

authors as Armand D.L., Ugriumova A.A., Reimers N.F.,

Rusakovich M.V., Glebova I.S., Iliina I.N., Pautova L.E.,

end others (1-7). The analysis of modern economic

literature showed a lack of unity in understanding the

concept of “comfortable urban environment”, as evidenced

by various definitions that interpret this phrase. For

residence of people (housing, and housing and communal

services) - house and yard;

2) The elements that determine the movement of people

from one point to another, ensuring and observing their

safety during movement (pedestrian infrastructure and

safety level) - transit spaces;

) The elements characterizing those objects of the

territory where people spend their time outside the home

the external attractiveness and uniqueness of the city; the

(

well-being of public spaces; leisure, sports, entertainment) -

points of attraction.

Creation of a comfortable urban environment shall be

guided by a number of approaches most widely used in the

Corresponding author: Elena V. Maksyutina, Kazan

Federal University. E-mail: lena.betty@mail.ru. Tel:

89872764580.

878

Journal of Environmental Treatment Techniques

2019, Special Issue on Environment, Management and Economy, Pages: 878-881

literature (8). In the framework of the first approach, a

single integral indicator should be used, such as The Global

Liveability Ranking or Quality of Living City Ranking. The

advantage of this approach is that the rating includes a wide

list of cities submitted for comparative analysis according

to the system of indicators involved. The disadvantage of

this approach is the fact that such evaluative ratings are

based on the opinions of experts, and not on measurable

quantitative indicators.

The second approach is based on the use of any of

landmark-forming evaluation criterion selected from the

system of generalized indicators. For example, the general

attractiveness may be the external attractiveness and

uniqueness of the city, which includes a number of

indicators: the number of lighting events; a standardized

signage policy; the number of significant attractions of the

city; positive/negative semantics of media posts; the

popularity of major attractions in online resources. These

indicators are estimated with the help of sociological

surveys of the population and make it possible to assess the

urban environment from the point of view of its impact on

city residents rather than from the standpoint of its

objective characteristics.

The third approach is based on a detailed assessment of

a large set of quantitative indicators. This technique both

contributes to the measurement of comfort parameters of

the urban environment and allows identifying its effect on

satisfaction with the quality of life of city residents. For

example, quantitative indicators of the infrastructure

available in the city (total area of parks, length of walking

areas, etc.) can be attributed to the comfort parameters of

the urban environment. An assessment of the level of

influence on residents is measured based on an assessment

of demand for this infrastructure. The resulting assessment

helps determine how efficiently investment resources in

urban improvement are converted into positive perceptions

and changes in the behavior of citizens. The efficiency ratio

of such a conversion reflects the demand and quality of

urban infrastructure. As a result of Boston Consulting

Group’s comparative analysis of the comfort of the urban

environment of megalopolises from all continents of the

world, comparable in terms of income and population,

rating indicators were obtained for the success of

converting investments into urban comfort with refraction

in high parameters of satisfaction with the quality of life of

citizens in this metropolis. As a result of the comparative

analysis, the cities were grouped according to the degree of

success of converting investments into positive perceptions

and behavior of their residents:

Communal Services of the Russian Federation (10). This

technique is designed to determine the level of quality of

the urban environment of municipalities by calculating and

assigning them an index of the quality of the urban

environment.

The urban environment quality index is a digital value

of the state of the urban environment, obtained as a result

of a comprehensive assessment of quantitative indicators

characterizing the level of comfort of the population. This

methodology for the formation of the urban environment

quality index includes the concepts of “favourable

environment” and “unfavourable environment”. It should

be noted that according to this methodology, the urban

environment is assessed as unfavourable if the value of the

urban environment quality index of urban formation is

below 50% of the maximum value that the city can gain.

Results and Discussion

The creation and functioning of a mechanism for

enhancing and developing

comfortable urban

environment in the Russian Federation is envisaged by the

implementation of the national project “Housing and Urban

Environment”, the federal project “Formation of

Comfortable Urban Environment”, municipal programs

Formation of a Comfortable Urban Environment for 2018-

“

022”, etc.

We should note that in the Russian Federation there are

112 cities. According to the results of calculating the

urban environment quality index at the end of 2018, with

respect to 275 settlements, only 59 cities (21.4%) scored

more than half of the maximum possible points, which can

characterize the urban environment of these settlements as

“

favourable”. 216 cities scored less than half of the

maximum possible points (78.6%), which may characterize

the urban environment of these municipalities as

“

unfavourable”. Given the fact that when selecting cities

for assessment, the principle of evaluating at least 3

settlements from each constituent entity of the Russian

Federation was applied, we can conclude that only 20% of

cities in the Russian Federation were characterized as cities

with a favourable urban environment, and 80% – with

unfavourable urban environment.

Naberezhnye Chelny is a large city in the Russian

Federation. The total population of the city is 532 thousand

people. The main sectors of the economy are mechanical

engineering, electric supply industry, construction industry,

food, and processing industry. The city-forming enterprise

of the city is the Kama Automobile Plant, which accounts

for almost three-quarters of the industrial output produced

in Naberezhnye Chelny. Naberezhnye Chelny is a single-

industry town.

A comprehensive assessment of the comfort of living in

the city of Naberezhnye Chelny was carried out using

indicators for assessing the urban environment quality

index in accordance with the previously mentioned “Urban

Environment Quality Assessment Methodology for

Municipalities of the Russian Federation”.

The assessment system consists of 30 indicators,

updated annually; each is responsible for a certain type of

urban space and displays the degree of environmental

1. Leading megacities - high conversion rate. They

convert the quality and accessibility of infrastructure to

changing the behavior and perception of citizens in all

elements of the urban environment (London, Singapore,

New York, Berlin, and Tokyo).

2. Mid-sized cities - average conversion rate (Moscow,

Paris, Seoul).

3. Lagging megacities - low conversion rate (Hong

Kong, Shanghai, Mexico City, Sao Paulo) (9).

Since 2017, Russia has been using the “Urban

Environment Quality Assessment Methodology”, approved

by order of the Ministry of Construction and Housing and

879

Journal of Environmental Treatment Techniques

2019, Special Issue on Environment, Management and Economy, Pages: 878-881

quality according to one of the criteria. The obtained

indicator values are compared only for cities in the same

group. The integral index is calculated as a simple sum of

the values of 30 indicators, evaluated on a scale from 0 to

The state of the environment with respect to the

direction of the assessment “public and business

infrastructure”: 30 points were scored out of the maximum

possible 50 points. Effectiveness was 60%.

0. Points are evenly distributed between the maximum and

The assessment criterion for "safety" (the percentage of

illuminated parts of streets, driveways, embankments in the

total number (%)) scored a maximum of 10 points. The

lowest scores were obtained according to the assessment

criterion for "identity and diversity" (concentration of

objects of cultural heritage (units/km2) - only 1 point.

minimum values within the group.

A comprehensive assessment of the comfort of living in

the city of Naberezhnye Chelny provided the following

results:

The state of the environment with respect to the

direction of the assessment “housing and adjoining areas”:

7 points were scored out of the maximum possible 50

The state of the environment with respect to the

direction of the assessment “a city-wide area”: 23 points

were scored out of the maximum possible 50 points.

Effectiveness was 46%.

points. Evaluation of effectiveness according to these

assessment indicators was 74%.

The maximum possible assessment points (10 points)

were scored according to the criteria of safety (share of

emergency housing (%) and comfort (share of housing

provided with centralized heat, water, electricity,

wastewater (%). The lowest number of points was scored in

with respect to the criterion “environmental friendliness”

The criterion of “comfort” (average distance between

stops of public transport (m)) gained 9 points out of 10

possible. Criteria of “identity and diversity” (number of

places with the largest concentration of street photos from

social networks (units)) and “modernity of environment”

(the share of citizens working in the tertiary sector of the

economy (%)) scored the minimum values – 1 and 2 points,

respectively. A general assessment of the quality of the

urban environment of Naberezhnye Chelny is “satisfactory

urban environment”. The integral assessment index of the

quality of the urban environment of Naberezhnye Chelny is

163 points out of the maximum possible 300. Efficiency

was only 54%. Naberezhnye Chelny has adopted the

"Strategy for the socio-economic development of the

municipality of Naberezhnye Chelny until 2021 and for the

period until 2030". The strategy provides a list of measures

regarding the development of urban space (spatial

development, agglomeration development of Naberezhnye

Chelny, comfortable urban environment, “smart city”, etc.).

Also, the Executive Committee of the municipality of

Naberezhnye Chelny developed a municipal program

"Formation of a Comfortable Urban Environment for 2018-

2022”. The implementation of program activities will

improve the quality of the urban environment and raise the

standard of living of the city’s population.

(

the amount of household waste disposed of per capita

(

thousand m3/person) was estimated - 3 points.

The state of the environment with respect to the

direction of the assessment “green and water areas”: 25

points were scored out of the maximum possible 50 points.

Effectiveness was 74%.

High scores (8 points) were scored relative to the

criteria for assessing “safety” (the area of green areas of

general use (parks, gardens, etc.) to the area of all green

spaces in general (%) and “comfort” (accessibility of parks

or arrangement of the natural landscape (%)). Criteria for

assessing “identity and diversity” (the number of photos on

social networks made by citizens in green areas (units/km2)

and “modernity of the environment” (number of various

services for citizens in the green areas (units/km2) scored

minimal points - 3 and 1, respectively, which indicates

problems in this area.

The state of the environment with respect to the

direction of the assessment “street infrastructure”: 27 points

were scored out of the maximum possible 50 points.

Effectiveness was 54%.

Evaluation criteria in the direction of "safety" (the

number of fatal accidents with pedestrians (units/1000

people) and "comfort" (the share of roads with improved

pavement (%) - scored high points – 10 and 9, respectively.

Summary

At the present stage, one of the important components

of the socio-economic development of the Russian

Federation is to increase the comfort of living.

Comfortability of the urban environment is one of the most

significant factors in ensuring the competitiveness of

municipalities, constituent entities of the Russian

Federation and the country in general. The results of the

assessment of the urban environment quality index for

cities of the Russian Federation showed that only 21.4% of

cities were characterized as cities with a favourable urban

environment, and 78.6% - with an unfavourable urban

environment. However, in case of successful

implementation of the measures provided for by the federal

project “Formation of a Comfortable Urban Environment”,

by 2021 the forecasted number of cities with a favourable

urban environment should be 445 (40%), by 2024 - 667

Identity and diversity” (the number of streets with

developed street retail (units) and “modern environment”

pedestrian accessibility index (%) scored the minimum

points – 1 and 2, respectively.

The state of the environment with respect to the

(

direction of the assessment “social and leisure

infrastructure and adjoining areas”: 21 points were scored

out of the maximum possible 50 points. Effectiveness was

42%.

“

Environmental friendliness” (accessibility of sports

grounds for citizens (%)) scored high points - 9 points out

of 10. Criteria of “identity and diversity” (share of cultural

heritage sites that host theatres, museums, libraries (%) and

(

60%), that is, the number of cities with a favourable urban

“

(

modern environment” (museum and theatre attendance

units/1000 people)) scored the most minimal values - 1

point each.

environment in the Russian Federation will double. A

general state of the quality of the urban environment in the

880

Journal of Environmental Treatment Techniques

2019, Special Issue on Environment, Management and Economy, Pages: 878-881

city of Naberezhnye Chelny is satisfactory, which suggests

that the indicators of the assessment of “green and water

areas”, “identity and diversity”, “modern environment” are

important factors for the life of the population. To improve

the quality of the urban environment, attention should be

paid to problems related to street infrastructure and traffic

capacity. The solution to these problems will improve the

quality of life of the population of the city.

Municipalities of the Russian Federation” [Electronic

resource]. “Consultant Plus” computer-based legal research

system.

http://www .consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_28

529/

URL:

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11] Kupwade RV. A Concise Review on Synthesis of Sulfoxides

and Sulfones with Special Reference to Oxidation of Sulfides.

Journal of Chemical Reviews. 2019 Mar 1;1 (2. pp. 78-

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The development of ideas about the comfort of the

urban environment and its impact on the development of

the city will allow avoiding strategic mistakes in building

the potential of insignificant and uncomfortable areas for

residents. The formation of a system of estimated indicators

of a comfortable urban environment contributes to the

efficiency of the use of investment resources of the city. A

comprehensive assessment of the current level of comfort

of the urban environment allows us to holistically form an

idea of the trajectory of the city and adjust the priorities of

future changes and improvements.

[

13] Samimia A, Zarinabadib S, Kootenaeia AH, Azimia A,

Mirzaeia M. Optimization of Naphtha Hydro-Threating Unit

with Continuous Resuscitation Due to the Optimum

Temperature of Octanizer Unit Reactors. development.

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Characterizing the Surface of

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Acknowledgments

The work is performed according to the Russian

Government Program of Competitive Growth of Kazan

Federal University.

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