Neighbourhood Choice Factors And Residents Satisfaction In Old And New Neighbourhoods Of Slemani City, Kurdistan-Iraq

Abstract

The concern about the quality of life in urban centres has led to an increasing interest among policymakers and planners on how to measure those variables that influence the perceived neighbourhood satisfaction amongst residents. This study examines the perception of residential environmental satisfaction, of old (Malkendi) and new (Bakhtiari nwe) neighbourhood in Slemani city, Kurdistan-Iraq. Through a household survey, 200 respondents were randomly sampled in each of the two neighbourhoods. Spear man rank correlation technique was used to test the relationship that exists between some neighbourhood choice factors and level of satisfaction of residents. Findings showed that the respondents’ choice of neighbourhood with respect to safety, provision of facilities/services and social environment was significantly related to their level of neighbourhood satisfaction. This suggests that the quality of physical and social environment to a certain level fulfill the intentions of residents in choosing to live in the neighbourhoods, but the new neighbourhood tended to perform better. There is need for policy makers and planners to revitalize the infrastructures especially road networks and building structures in the old neighbourhood to ensure that residents’ welfare and satisfaction are adequately met.

Keywords: Neighbourhood satisfaction, Physical environment, Social environment, Old and New neighbourhood