Inner city or outskirts: where are residents more satisfied? The case of Jelgava

Abstract

Residential satisfaction is an important issue in any urban development policy. In order to ascertain the level of residential satisfaction in Jelgava in 2018 a population survey was conducted, in which 961 residents were questioned. Since the urban environment of Jelgava is not homogeneous, respondents were grouped according to the place of residence in two parts of the city the inner city and the outer city. The results revealed that the overall satisfaction with life in Jelgava is relatively high, but this indicator is not influenced by the respondent's place of residence in the urban area. There were no statistically significant differences between respondent satisfaction in the inner city and/or the outskirts with life in general, household financial situation, educational facilities, air quality, noise level, cleanliness and/or job opportunities. By contrast the location of residence in one or another urban zone affects satisfaction with public transport, health-care services, sports facilities, cultural facilities, the state of the streets and buildings, public places, green areas and the availability of retail shops respondents living in the inner city are more satisfied with all of these factors compared with those living on the city outskirts.