Neighbourhood Satisfaction and Density Perception in Indian Cities of Bhopal and Nagpur
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11113/ijbes.v12.n1.1286Keywords:
Sustainability; Satisfaction; High-density; Perceived density; Neighbourhood (NH).Abstract
Density is an important urban form component. It is a tool that has been used for guiding the way cities are planned for living. Indian cities have been following high-density living, but some researchers showcase that high-density has negative effects. An investigation is necessary to verify the crowding effect and NH sustainability. The paper aims to find if residents are satisfied with the high-density living in the Indian cities of Bhopal and Nagpur. The study identifies context-specific NH satisfaction indicators using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Based on indicators, data is collected from differing density neighbourhoods. It uses Descriptive as well as Inferential analysis to arrive at results. Further, sensitivity analysis is made using Aggregated Index (AI). Descriptive analysis found a trend of density variation as per each indicator. Inferential statistics (MANOVA) confirms that public perception about density mostly differs in NHs of varying density. The results show that high density proves to be sustainable for variables like NH quality, Community wellbeing and Social equity.The study discusses certain NH interventions that can be useful in deriving future NH design guidelines and framing housing policies in India. Neighbourhood (NH) satisfaction assessment can comment upon the sustainability in a NH. The method can be a starting point to test the sustainability NHs for Indian cities.
References
Abass, Z. I., & Tucker, R. (2018). Residential satisfaction in low-density Australian suburbs: The impact of social and physical context on neighbourhood contentment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 56, 36-45.
Ahluwalia, I. J. (2019). Urban governance in India. Journal of Urban Affairs, 41(1), 83-102.
Aiello, J. R., Thompson, D. E., & Baum, A. (1985). Children, crowding, and control: Effects of environmental stress on social behavior. Habitats for children: The impacts of density, 97-124.
ALAM, S. S., & Matsuyuki, M. (2018). Dwellers’ satisfaction on slum rehabilitation scheme and its affecting factors in Mumbai, India. Urban and Regional Planning Review, 67-86.
Alshubiri, F., & Al Ani, M. K. (2024). Housing affordability indicators and the sustainability paradigm in OECD countries. Cities, 148, 104904.
Aurand, A. (2010). Density, Housing Types and Mixed Land Use: Smart Tools for Affordable Housing? Urban Studies, 1015–1036; doi:10.1177/0042098009353076.
Badland, H., Foster, S., Bentley, R., Higgs, C., Roberts, R., Pettit, C., & Giles-Corti, B. (2017). Examining associations between area-level spatial measures of housing with selected health and wellbeing behaviours and outcomes in an urban context. Health & place, 43, 17-24.
Bahadure, S., & Kamble, T. (2019). Measuring Urban Accessibility using Complete Spatial Randomness. ACE 2019 (pp. 85-90). Singapore: GSTF.
Bello, A., & Egresi, I. (2017). Housing Conditions In Kano, Nigeria: A Qualitative Assessment Of Adequacy.
Bhatta, B. (2009). Analysis of urban growth pattern using remote sensing and GIS: a case study of Kolkata, India. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 30(18), 4733-4746.
Boyko. (2017). Architecture: Urban design and wellbeing. In E. Tseklevs, & R. Cooper, Design for health (p. 260). Routledge.
Brabec, E. A. (2009). Imperviousness and land-use policy: Toward an effective approach to watershed planning. Journal of hydrologic engineering, 14(4), 425-433.
Bramley, G. D. (2006). What is ‘social sustainability’, and how do our existing urban forms perform in nurturing it. London: Sustainable Communities and Green Futures’ Conference, Bartlett School of Planning, University College London.
Burton, E. (2000). The compact city: just or just compact? A preliminary analysis. Urban studies 37.11, 1969-2006, doi:10.1080/00420980050162184.
Burton, E. (2003). Housing for an urban renaissance: implications for social equity. Housing Studies 18.4, 537-562.
Buys, L., & Miller, E. (2012). Residential satisfaction in inner urban higher-density Brisbane, Australia: role of dwelling design, neighbourhood and neighbours. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 55(3), 319-338.
Chan, E. H., & Lee, G. K. (2009). Design considerations for environmental sustainability in high density development: a case study of Hong Kong. Environment, development and sustainability 11(2), 359-374.
Churchman, A. (1999). Disentangling the concept of density. Journal of Planning Literature, 389-411;doi:10.1177/08854129922092478.
Dave, S. (2008). High Densities in Developing Countries: a Sustainable Solution? Oxford: PhD thesis, School of Architecture, Oxford Brookes University.
Dave, S. (2010). High urban densities in developing countries: A sustainable solution? Built environment 36.1, 9-27;https://doi.org/10.2148/benv.36.1.9.
Delmelle, E. C. (2013). Social satisfaction, commuting and neighborhoods. Journal of Transport Geography 30 , 110-116; DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2013.03.006.
Dempsey. (2008). Quality of the built environment in urban neighbourhoods. Planning, Practice & Research, 23(2), 249-264.
Dhingra, M., & Chattopadhyay, S. (2016). Advancing smartness of traditional settlements-case analysis of Indian and Arab old cities. International Journal of Sustainable Built Environment, 5(2), 549-563.
Ding, G. K. (2008). Sustainable construction—The role of environmental assessment tools. Journal of environmental management, 86(3), 451-464.
Fassio, O., Rollero, C., & De Piccoli, N. (2013). Health, quality of life and population density: A preliminary study on “contextualized” quality of life. Social indicators research, 110(2), 479-488.
Freeman, L. ( 2001). The effects of sprawl on neighborhood social ties: An explanatory analysis. Journal of the American Planning Association 67.1 , 69-77;DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/01944360108976356.
French, S. W.-C. (2014). Sense of community and its association with the neighborhood built environment. Environment and Behavior, 46(6), 677-697;DOI:https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916512469098.
Fuller, T. D., Edwards, J. N., Sermsri, S., & Vorakitphokatorn, S. (1993). Housing, stress, and physical well-being: evidence from Thailand. Social science & medicine, 36(11), 1417-1428.
Gore, C. D., & Gopakumar, G. (2015). Infrastructure and metropolitan reorganization: An exploration of the relationship in Africa and India. Journal of Urban Affairs, 37(5), 548-567.
Hotwani, G. P., & Tripathi, S. K. (2017). The Reciprocal Effect of Crowding and Experiential Stress. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science (IOSR-JHSS), 22 (3), 16-19.
Howley, P., Scott, M., & Redmond, D. (2009). Sustainability versus liveability: an investigation of neighbourhood satisfaction. Journal of environmental planning and management, 52(6), 847-864.
Hunn, E. (1994). Place-names, population density, and the magic number 500. Current Anthropology, 35(1), 81-85.
Hur, M., Nasar, J. L., & Chun, B. (2010). Neighborhood satisfaction, physical and perceived naturalness and openness. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30(1), 52-59.
Jenks, M., & Dempsey, N. (2005). The Language and Meaning of Density. In M. a. Jenks, In Future Forms and Design for Sustainable Cities (pp. 287–309). Architectural Press, Oxford.
Kahn, R. L., & Juster, F. T. (2002). Well–Being: concepts and measures. Journal of Social Issues , 58(4).
Kamble, T., & Bahadure, S. (2019). Neighborhood sustainability assessment in developed and developing countries. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 1-23.
Kamble, T., & Bahadure, S. (2021). Investigating application of compact urban form in central Indian cities. Land use policy, 109, 105694.
Kamble, T., Bahadure, S., & Punglia, S. (2022). Availability and accessibility of urban green spaces in a high-density city: The Case of Raipur, India. The Professional Geographer, 74(2), 290-303.
Kaplan, R., & Austin, M. E. (2004). Out in the country: sprawl and the quest for nature nearby. Landscape and urban planning, 235-243.
Kaplan, R., & Kaplan, S. (1989). The experience of nature: A psychological perspective. New York: Cambridge university press.
Karimi, K. (1998). Continuity and change in old cities: an analytical investigation of the spatial structure in Iranian and English historic cities before and after modernisation. University of London.
Karuppannan, S., & Sivam, A. (2011). Social sustainability and neighbourhood design: an investigation of residents' satisfaction in Delhi. Local Environment, 16(9), 849-870.
Kasarda, J. D., & Janowitz, M. (1974). Community attachment in mass society. American sociological review, 328-339.
Kearney, A. R. (2006). Residential Development Patterns and Neighborhood Satisfaction: Impacts of Density and Nearby Nature. Environment and behavior 38.1, 112-139; DOI:https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916505277607.
Lau, K. K., Ng, E., Ren, C., Ho, J. C., Wan, L., Shi, Y. .., & Tan, Z. (2018). Defining the environmental performance of neighbourhoods in high-density cities. Building Research & Information, 46(5), 540-551.
Lindsay, M., Williams, K., & Dair, a. C. (2010). Is there room for privacy in the compact city? Built Environment 36.1 , 28-46; doi:https://doi.org/10.2148/benv.36.1.28.
Mehta, a. (2005). BHOPAL CITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN Under JNNURM. Retrieved June 2018, from http://www.mpurban.gov.in/Pdf/CDP/Bhopal%20CDP_Final%20.pdf
Meng, X., & Han, J. (2018). Roads, economy, population density, and CO2: A city-scaled causality analysis. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 128, 508-515.
Menon, K. (1997). Imaging the Indian City. Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 32, No. 46, 2932-2936.
Mouratidis, K. (2018). Is compact city livable? The impact of compact versus sprawled neighbourhoods on neighbourhood satisfaction. Urban studies, 55(11), 2408-2430.
Mouratidis, K. (2020). Commute satisfaction, neighborhood satisfaction, and housing satisfaction as predictors of subjective well-being and indicators of urban livability. Travel Behaviour and Society, 21, 265-278.
Mukherjee, D., Safraj, S., Tayyab, M., Shivashankar, R., Patel, S. A., Narayanan, G., & ... & Prabhakaran, D. (2017). Park availability and major depression in individuals with chronic conditions: Is there an association in urban India? Health & place, 54-62.
Parra, D. C., Gomez, L. F., Sarmiento, O. L., Buchner, D., Brownson, R., Schimd, T., . . . Lobelo, F. (2010). Perceived and objective neighborhood environment attributes and health related quality of life among the elderly in Bogota, Colombia. Social Science & Medicine, 70(7), 1070-1076.
Radberg, J. (1996). Towards a Theory of Sustainability and Urban Quality. Book of Proceedings, IAPS 14.
Ramachandra, T. V., Bharath, H. A., Kulkarni, G., & Han, S. S. (2018). Municipal solid waste: Generation, composition and GHG emissions in Bangalore, India. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 82, 1122-1136.
Raman, S. (2010). Designing a liveable compact city: physical forms of city and social life in urban neighbourhoods. Built environment 36.1, 63-80.
Rapoport, A. (1975). Toward a redefinition of density. Environment and Behavior,7, no. 2 , 133-158; DOI: abs/10.1177/001391657500700202.
Riede, F., & Pedersen, J. B. (2018). Late Glacial human dispersals in northern Europe and disequilibrium dynamics. Human Ecology, 46(5), 621-632.
Roy, S., Majumder, S., Bose, A., & Chowdhury, I. R. (2024). Spatial heterogeneity in the urban household living conditions: A-GIS-based spatial analysis. Annals of GIS, 30(1), 81-104.
Shaw, A. (1999). Emerging patterns of urban growth in India. Economic and political weekly, 969-978.
Sokido, D. L. (2014). Density in relation to built-forms and spatial quality of urban spaces. Deutschland, Germany: Lambert Academic Publishing.
Teriman, S. (2012). Measuring neighbourhood sustainability: A comparative analysis of residential types in Malaysia. Diss. Queensland University of Technology.
Torshizian, E. (2017). Effects of crowding, density and deprivation on residential satisfaction. Auckland: Doctoral dissertation, ResearchSpace.
Wang, C., Wang, S., Cao, Y., Yan, H., & Li, Y. (2023). The social equity of urban parks in high-density urban areas: a case study in the core area of Beijing. Sustainability, 15(18), 13849.
World-Bank. (2013, August 21). World Development Indicators. Retrieved from http://databank.worldbank.org/data/download/WDI-2013-ebook.pdf
Zhang, J., Heng, C. K., Malone-Lee, L. C., Hii, D. J., Janssen, P., Leung, K. S., & Tan, B. K. (2012). Evaluating environmental implications of density: A comparative case study on the relationship between density, urban block typology and sky exposure. Automation in construction, 22, 90-101.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 International Journal of Built Environment and Sustainability
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright of articles that appear in International Journal of Built Environment and Sustainability belongs exclusively to Penerbit Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (Penerbit UTM Press). This copyright covers the rights to reproduce the article, including reprints, electronic reproductions or any other reproductions of similar nature.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- This Journal applies Creative Commons Licenses of CC-BY-NC-SA
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
