Measurement of Urban Qualities - A Multi-Criteria Approach to Optimize the Improvement of Public Spaces

Abstract

A central challenge in today’s urban development is to accommodate the goal of densification without compromising the quality of urban areas. The work of creating good public spaces for the city’s residents is a part of a complex collaborative effort between the municipality, planners and the residents themselves. Sweco has in collaboration with Oslo municipality conducted urban life studies as a part of the work to develop good public spaces in the city of Oslo. This master’s thesis aims to meet a growing need for analytical and methodological tools that can contribute to better understanding of how the quality of public spaces affect where people choose to stay. The thesis presents how various qualities in urban areas in Oslo can be combined in a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) within GIS, and how this tool can be used in urban planning. The purpose of this research is to identify high-quality and low-quality public spaces, in addition to see if the identified areas correspond to where the residents in Oslo choose to stay, as indicated in the urban life study 2024 for Oslo. The objective has been investigated through theory, findings from the urban life study 2024 for Oslo, interviews and analyses in GIS. Results of the analysis shows that MCDA effectively combines various urban qualities in joint measurement, and it successfully identifies high-quality and low-quality public spaces. Further, findings show that identified high- and low-quality areas from MCDA correspond with where people choose to stay as indicated in the urban life 2024 for Oslo. The results show that public spaces that contain several types of qualities are more used. Common for the most popular public spaces is that they invite for stay and activity. Analyses conducted with MCDA can provide valuable insight for urban planners and decision-makers in the work of prioritizing improvements to public spaces and ensuring that the public spaces meet the needs and preferences of the residents.