The Environmental Dimension of City Dwellers’ Quality of Life and the City’s Social and Spatial Variability

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to attempt an analysis of the environmental dimension of the quality of life using quantitative surveys conducted among residents of Gdansk. In the paper, we make reference to the theoretical assumptions ensuing from the concept of a comprehensive and integrated approach to the development of the urban environment, whilst noting the profound impact humans bring to their evaluation of the environmental components. The paper focuses primarily on the inhabitants’ attitudes to the environmental values of their place of residence in relation to things such as the condition and accessibility of green areas, air quality, potable water quality and noise intensity. The surveys indicate that views on the city’s environmental values are determined by numerous factors, such as the city’s territorial structure (districts) and its demographic structure (sex, age), and psychosocial features, such as a subjective sense of mental well-being.