Livability

RESEARCH OVERVIEW

Livability encompasses the features of a place that make it a habitable and desirable place to live. Multiple definitions of livability emphasize characteristics of accessibility, affordability, health, safety, attractiveness, and quality of life. Livability is affected by infrastructure related considerations including: community design, land use, mobility, public health, and economic activity.

The network’s research efforts around livability are focused on understanding the infrastructure decisions that will maximize the convergence of the various features of a place that make it “livable.” The work is directed toward helping cities take stock of livability using both objective and subjective measures that take into account the specificity of place. Furthermore, it is directed toward helping cities make the appropriate infrastructure planning decisions to maximize the features of a place that make it a habitable and desirable place to live.