Rezidenční spokojenost seniorů v proměňujících se čtvrtích Prahy

Abstract

Transformation processes activated in the country after 1989 have been influencing not only the configuration and the functioning of urban space, but also the everyday lives of urban residents. Gentrification and commercialization change the central cities, former industrial neighbourhoods in inner zones experience revitalization, and socialist housing estates set off different trajectories from regeneration to stagnation. The processes taking place in various parts of Prague during the last 20 years have left marks on the living environment as well as on the residential satisfaction of local inhabitants. The elderly people, whose daily lives are very locally attached, feel the ongoing changes particularly intensely. This paper compares the three types of transforming neighbourhoods in Prague, the historical core, the inner city and the housing estate, as to the living conditions perceived by the elderly. Residential satisfaction is evaluated in the areas including neighbourhood facilities, public spaces and infrastructure, and local social contacts. A questionnaire survey lead by interviewers was employed to gather the data for 275 respondents older 60 years and living in the three study areas.

The role of civic amenities in the residential satisfaction in apartment-housing localities of Prague

“…Accessibility and quality of civic amenities (or services) play a fundamental role in the urban way of life (Parkes et al 2002) and are often pinpointed as an important component of residential satisfaction in general (Lovrich, Taylor 1976;Ahlbrandt 1984, in Basolo, Strong 2002Lu 1999;Dekker et al 2011). Parkes et al (2002) assert that appropriate services might also contribute indirectly, for instance, by providing a platform for social interaction between inhabitants and, thus, lead to higher satisfaction with social relationships in neighbourhood (see also Hero, Durand 1985;Temelová et al 2010). However, Swindell and Kelly (2005) asserts that civic amenities as a component of residential quality of the environment is not always clearly reflected in residential satisfaction even though in other views it may have a positive effect (see Fig.…”

“…Secondly, different services might contribute to residential satisfaction diversely. For example, Wilson et al (1995, in Dekker et al 2011 and Temelová et al (2010) attribute significance to grocery stores. Thirdly, Phillips et al (2004) assert that the quality of services plays only a marginal role besides the more significant degree of importance.…”

“…Regarding housing estates neighbourhoods in post-socialist cities, residential satisfaction is, according to Wilson (1995, in Dekker et al 2011 or Temelová et al (2010), connected to the accessibility of services, mainly grocery stores or adequate public transport. Similarly, the residential environment of housing estates is enhanced by the accessibility of nature (Musterd, van Kempen 2005;Temelová et al 2010). Although in the quality of public spaces are the post-socialist housing estates usually behind those in Western Europe, in the domain regarding residential satisfaction with civic amenities get on usually better (Musterd, van Kempen 2005).…”

“…However, the physical proximity of various kinds of civic amenities often relates to certain drawbacks such as anonymity (Wirth 1938, in Parkes et al 2002, noise (Musterd, van Kempen 2005;Karsten 2007), the occurrence of untrustworthy individuals (Temelová et al 2010) or inappropriate environment for children's leisure in general (Newman, Duncan 1979;Swindell, Kelly 2005). Furthermore, former spaces of retail are sometimes commercially misused (Maier 2003).…”

“…Housing estates in Prague may presently profit from good accessibility of basic services albeit they became often available after the construction of panel houses had been already finished (Musil 1985). During the last three decades, newly emerged market forces have further contributed to the improvement of civic amenities therein (Temelová et al 2010;Dekker et al 2011). Nevertheless, the local housing estates even presently often lack civic amenities related to cultural life and leisure in general (Musil 1985;Havlíčková 2015) or the sufficient capacity of kindergartens or primary schools (Maier 2003).…”