@article{204301,
  keywords = {Data and Models, Equity, Wellbeing, Livability, NSF Sustainable Healthy Cities Network},
  author = {K. Das and A. Ramaswami and Y. Fan and J. Cao},
  title = {Connecting the dots between urban infrastructure, well-being, livability, and equity: a data-driven approach},
  abstract = {<p>Developing sustainable, livable and equitable cities is a major policy goal. However, livability metrics are amorphous, emphasizing different dimensions. This paper develops a novel data-driven approach by directly surveying subjective well-being (SWB) of urban residents, alongside satisfaction with key social{\textendash}ecological{\textendash}infrastructural{\textendash}urban correlates to inform livability and equity priorities. Our survey is novel in quantifying SWB (Cantril ladder) of urban residents and evaluating both household- and neighborhood-level correlates while addressing confounding effects of socio-demographics and personality. We propose a three-way typology of provisioning systems{\textemdash}foundational, consistently important and added-bonus{\textemdash}based on their quantitative relationship with SWB. Implemented in the Twin-Cities USA, among 21 attributes, home heating-cooling, neighborhood greenery, access to public transportation and snow removal emerged as foundational in cold Minnesota climates; home size was consistently important and satisfaction with streets an added-bonus. Assessing inequality in foundational and consistently important categories revealed disparities by income and race, informing local infrastructure priorities for livability and equity. Key insights emerged on sufficiency and sustainability.</p>
},
  year = {2022},
  journal = {Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability},
  volume = {2},
  language = {eng},
}