A Study on the Impact of Built Environment Elements on Satisfaction with Residency Whilst Considering Spatial Heterogeneity

Abstract

The built environment, as perceived and felt by human beings, can shape and affect residential satisfaction. From the perspective of municipal administrators, understanding the building environment and its relationship with people’s residential satisfaction is crucial to improving people’s living environment. This study examines the correlation between built environment elements and residential satisfaction using the consideration of spatial heterogeneity of such a correlation. Machine vision technology is introduced to quantify the design dimension of the built environment. The method of multiscale geographically weighted regression is used to evaluate the relationship between built environment and residential satisfaction and to analyze the spatial heterogeneity in the influencing effects. This empirical study draws on 399 collected samples from the residents of Zhengzhou, China. The results show that elements of the built environment, including street space design features, have a significant effect on people’s residential satisfaction in Zhengzhou City. The factors of functional diversity and distance to the city center show spatial heterogeneity in influencing effects on residential satisfaction. The results of this study could help municipal managers to improve people’s residential satisfaction in Zhengzhou City through the development of urban renewal policies.