Assessing the quality of urban life in three neighbourhoods, Lilongwe, Malawi

Abstract

Recent literature corroborates a lack of critical engagement with contemporary east–south African cities and a scarcity of focus on the quality of urban life (QoUL) in Africa at large. Geographically situated in Malawi's capital city, Lilongwe, this study provides insights into the QoUL in three heterogenous neighbourhoods in the city from the perspective of the residents. The paper examines key indicators which impact urban life. Data are gathered through neighbourhood profiling and a residential attitude survey. It focuses on the individual resident's subjective assessment of their quality of life, and their view of four domains of urban life: namely, the physical, social, economic and well-being domains. Variances in demographic and socio-economic groups are discussed as well as the variances in QoUL found in three neighbourhoods. The results reveal that there is significant variance in the QoUL across the three neighbourhoods in Lilongwe. The study contributes to the ongoing discourse of QoUL by asserting that its underlying domains should not be viewed in isolation as they incessantly impact one another and that confronting urban challenges in this context should be considered at a neighbourhood scale.

Residential satisfaction and quality of urban life: examining diverse housing environments

“…This conveys that residential satisfaction and the general QoUL of the residents are strongly influenced by attributes of the neighborhood and the facilities served in the neighborhood and the city. This finding coincides with the literature that states that improving the quality of public spaces and the services provided in the neighborhood affects the residential satisfaction of the residents (MacLean and Salama, 2021; Adewumi et al ., 2018; Vukovic et al ., 2021).…”

“…On the other hand, it supports the view that urban services and facilities are effective in improving residential satisfaction in high-rise residential areas (Azimi and Esmaeilzadeh, 2017; Komalawati and Lim, 2021; Ma et al ., 2018). Findings from this study are also supported by earlier studies highlighting that high-rise buildings undermine the local-specific nature of cities, creating off-scale and out-of-context and uncomfortable places reducing the quality of housing is also substantiated (Abusaada and Elshater, 2021; Al Kodmany and Ali, 2013; MacLean and Salama, 2021). Individuals' perceptions of housing satisfaction and of services provided around housing in Kayseri city were found to be independent of each other.…”

People–Place Narratives as Knowledge Typologies for Social Sustainability: Cases from Urban Contexts in the Global South

“…Economic sustainability was intertwined with local neighborhood vibrancy, illustrating homes as anchors of stability and community. Health and well-being were also key themes with which the research advocated for improved healthcare services and safer neighborhoods [17,75]. The research accentuated the need for neighborhood-specific strategies for enhancing Lilongwe's overall quality of life.…”

People-Place Narratives as Knowledge Typologies for Social Sustainability: Cases from Urban Contexts in the Global South

“…Economic sustainability was intertwined with local neighborhood vibrancy, illustrating homes as anchors of stability and community. Health and well-being were also key themes where the research advocated for improved healthcare services and safer neighborhoods [15,65].…”