Geostatistical analysis of quality of life (QoL) with particular emphasis on the basic amenities and services in urban West Bengal, India

Abstract

Quality of life is said to be intimately interlinked with the process of urbanization and development because urbanization is regarded as a manifestation of economic development. ‘Quality of life’ refers to an individual’s or society’s overall well-being, whereas ‘basic amenities’ are things required for each person and have an evident relationship to QoL. City centers are regarded as the engines of society, so the current paper examines the quality of life with regard to levels of selected essential amenities in West Bengal’s urban centers for the year 2011. Seven key basic amenities are considered. Data were obtained from secondary sources such as the Houselisting and Housing Census, Census of West Bengal 2011, and the Primary Census Abstract, Census of West Bengal, 2011 (both in electronic formats). Coefficient of Variation, Correlation Coefficient, and One-way ANOVA techniques were used to analyze the data. According to the results of the study, there are differences in civic facilities across the whole range of urban hierarchy (size class and civic status category-wise). Additionally, a noticeable difference is found between Census Towns (CTs) and Statutory Towns (STs). The availability and persistent scarcity of fundamental services in urban areas largely depends on rapid urbanization, rapid immigration from rural areas, economic foundation, competence and development of the urban centers where the city or town is located. Additionally, more than 500 new towns incorporated in the most recent census, majority of which are small towns and considered Census Towns, report decreased accessibility to essential facilities. Therefore, instead of implementing different strategies throughout time, a considerable disparity in the provision of amenities in the state’s urban centers is a key barrier to urban holistic development. This circumstance encourages the use of the concept of co-production in the planning process.