The quality of life in Czech rural and urban spaces

Abstract

Quality of life is a frequently discussed topic among scientists, politicians and the general public; it touches on a wide range of scientific disciplines and is discussed in various contexts. Its relation to specific conditions of the external environment, which shape the individual and society, makes it possible to look at it through a geographical lens and study its spatial differentiation. The study aimed to explore and assess the relationships between the objective dimension of the quality of life and the degree of municipal membership in a rural and an urban continuum. Methodologically, the study builds on global and local analyses of the phenomena. Spatial autocorrelation indicated that quality of life data tends to cluster. A positive geographically weighted correlation implied that increased quality of life corresponds with increasing urban space membership. Further, a typology and quantification of the occurrence of the defined types was made. Through this, it was found that the potential for a high quality of life is in the intermediate spaces (suburbs) lying between urban and rural spaces.