LIVEABILITY MUST HAVES

You are to rank from 1 to 10 (1 being the highest) the liveability ‘must haves’. You are to base this top ten list on all of your research to this point. This can be both primary and secondary research.

For each selection you must argue and prove why it is a ‘must have’. Of course, this includes referencing appropriate evidence.

You must also justify the priority of each selection. For example, you will need to indicate the reasons why access transport would be considered more important that public space.

The top ten aspects of liveability are (in no particular order):

- Environmental Sustainability

- Diversity

- Economic/Government Stability

- Safety/Security

- Education

- Aesthetically Pleasing Areas

- Appropriate Housing

- Recreational Areas/Public Space

- Health Care System

- Good Transport Systems

I picked these as the top ten aspects of liveability because these factors all contribute to why an area becomes appealing to people and are all used or desired by most people.

The order:

1. Economic/Government Stability

This is at the very top of this list because I think economic/government stability isn't just a 'want' in the public's eyes, it is necessary for having an area that is liveable. A stable government and economy able to provide most of the other things on this list - for example a stable government should be able to allow its citizens to be safe. The key word in this 'must-have' is "stability" as reports (EMU, 2014) showed that economic stability creates the necessary conditions for sustainable long-term growth in any area. The studies also showed that this stability benefitted everyone, but particularly those who are less-well-off and lack of stability and interest rate changes widen the gap between the rich and poor. Therefore, for a more equitable, affordable and reliable area, economic and government stability is vital.

2. Security/Safety

Security and safety are second on the list, as areas that aren't safe nor secure will not attract residents. Security and safety are needed to create a sense of trust between the community and the citizens, so the citizens are able to trust that they chose an area where they aren't at risk. In a study called 'What makes us Happiest about Where we Live' (CityLab, 2014) showed that the largest percentage of people that took part in the study (44%) said that the safety of their area made them the happiest. "If you don't feel safe, if you feel threatened and insecure in your neighborhood, you're unlikely to be happy there." - Richard Florida, CityLab, 2014. This poll shows that safety is obviously a factor that people see as necessary, meaning that in order for an area to be liveable and allow its residents to feel happy and at ease, it must be safe.

3. Health Care System

Health care system is the third thing on this list because I think that it is very important to be able to have health care available to citizens. Residents want to feel as if their community is supporting them, and they will have to be close to a GP or hospital in case they have a health emergency or they may just need to have a check up. Whether it's for convenience, or it's vital for someone's life, it's always vital to have access to some sort of health care. In 2016, the HAS stated "Investments in the right health solutions can lead to a sustainable future with measurable impact, within a generation" and "Health is rooted in everyday life" demonstrating that their health organisation has the opinion that health needs to be looked after as it is central to people's lives. As a result of this, health is the ranked third on this list.

4. Appropriate Housing

Appropriate housing is also in the top five, because in order for a town to be 'liveable' it must have residencies for people to live in. This also says appropriate, as it is essential to keep in mind that not all people are able to afford the same thing, or live in the same size area meaning that a variety of different living spaces must be provided for a variety of different people. John Hopkins, from Bloomberg School of Public Health, in 2016 said "Affordable and safe housing is important to the well-being and health of families. Without adequate housing, families have trouble managing their daily lives. When this happens, their health suffers." This shows that appropriate housing is not only important for making room for more residencies, it shows that appropriate housing impacts people's health and daily lives showing that housing definitely contributes to liveability.

5. Environmental Sustainability

Environmental sustainability and renewable energy are very important when considering building a new city, however this isn't at the top of the list because it isn't something that is absolutely vital to people (in the long-term it is, but it has to be compromised sometimes). Environmental sustainability would also be something that is seen as especially desireable by people from Sydney. This was proven when The Property Council of Australia asked capital city residents whether they believed their cities are clean, well maintained and unpolluted and Sydney had the lowest satisfaction rating out of all cities, with only 34% of people saying that were satisfied with the environmental state of the city. As so many people from Sydney were dissatisfied, this shows that people from Sydney want to see more living areas that are clean and well maintained, showing that environmental sustainability increases liveability.

6. Transport

Transport is key to appealing to residents (especially in areas like Rozelle Bay where people will want to travel to the city) as a good and reliable transport system allows people to travel around towns often. In addition, public transport encourages people to not be very reliable on their cars, and to be more eco-friendly by taking public transport. This isn't the first priority though, because transport is adding onto liveability after the basics (i.e housing) has been formed, to allow residents to have more comfort. In saying this, it has been shown through primary research that was conducted within the Rozelle Bay group, 8 out of 10 people in Sydney surveyed said that they used some form of public transport regularly, showing that transport is very important in most people's lives, thus a good transport system makes an area in Sydney more liveable.

7. Diversity

Diversity is important to an area as it promotes social equity and allows there to be a wider variety of facilities built in the area. In regards to social equity, this means that diversity allows for the area to not have discrimination or prejudice as it is accepting of all people and anyone is able to live there and have access to its facilities. Also, with facilities, diversity means that the area needs to appeal to more people, meaning that the area will have different kinds of living spaces, recreational areas and public spaces to suit the needs of all different people. Furthermore, Healthy Active By Design (from the Heart Foundation) says "A diversity of housing types helps respond to the housing needs of communities at different stages of the life course and ensures the housing needs of residents at different stages in life and increasingly diverse household types are catered for." This shows that diversity assists all members of a community, showing how it contributes to liveability.

8. Education

It may be an unpopular opinion as to why education is so low on this list, but when thinking about the scale of Rozelle Bay and thinking of liveability in comparison to that, education does seem important but isn't a top priority. This is because Rozelle Bay is a relatively small area, and small areas are not in need of having facilities for education, especially when Rozelle is normally an area for those without children and are working in the city. This means that education isn't something that's vital for liveability in certain areas. However, as apart of liveability as a whole, education is seen as necessary - with the Global Partnership of Education saying that education reduces poverty, increases income, boosts economic income and makes people happier. This means that alotgether, education is necessary in larger scale areas, however it isn't necessary in all small residental areas when considering who lives in these areas.

9. Recreational Areas/Public Space

Recreational areas and public space are important for residents of a certain area to be able to get involved with that area and be able to enjoy themselves. According to research conducted by CityLab in 2014, 37% of people said what made them happiest about where they lived was the availability of high quality parks and recreation. However this isn't at the top of the list as there are other more urgent needs (e.g being able to create room for more residencies for the growing population) meaning that recreational areas and public space may be sacrificed for other factors that contribute to liveability that are higher on this list.

10. Aesthetically Pleasing Areas

Aestheically pleasing areas, although important, was prioritised last on this list. The rest of the factors that contribute to liveability on this list have functions (e.g economic stability provides jobs, recreational areas provides space where the public can engage in specific leisurely activities), being aesthetically pleasing doesn't necessarily provide a service for the public - except for a more superficial one. In saying this, a study performed by the Hitachi Design Center found that more beautiful appearing products were perceived to be easier to use than those that had less visual appeal. If this principle was applied to other things - in this case liveability - that means having an area that is more aesthetically pleasing can mean that people think it's a more liveable area. This having an aesthetically pleasing area does contribute to liveability, but it isn't of top priority.