Livability is one of the major guiding principles for urban planning and policymaking, of which the definition and evaluation have become the crucial research topic. As the progress in socioeconomic development accelerates, the microscale living conditions require more urgent attention. However, few researchers have addressed the assessment of urban livability at a finer spatial scale such as the community scale. Thus, this article aims to evaluate the urban environmental quality at the community level given the residential community as the basic unit of urban living areas. We select eighteen objective indicators from five dimensions to establish an objective indicator system. Taking the preferences of different age groups into account, a comprehensive evaluation framework for the livability of communities combining both subjective perceptions and objective indicator is constructed. Then, it is applied to evaluate the livability of 1,394 residential communities in Ningbo City. There are three significant results from the study. First, different age groups have diverse preferences of demands to the livability of an urban community. The indicators they valued most concentrated in the following two dimensions: the convenience of transportation and the completeness of supporting facilities. Second, there exists significant heterogeneity in the livability of communities among districts. Third, the livability of communities shows a decreasing spatial pattern from the city center to the surroundings. These empirical results can be advantageous to urban planning departments and other relevant stakeholders.

中文翻译：

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考虑不同年龄段偏好的城市社区宜居性评估

宜居性是城市规划和决策的主要指导原则之一，其定义和评估已成为至关重要的研究主题。随着社会经济发展的进步，微观生活条件亟待关注。但是，很少有研究者在更精细的空间尺度（例如社区尺度）上对城市宜居性进行评估。因此，本文旨在以居民社区为城市生活区的基本单位，在社区一级评估城市环境质量。我们从五个维度中选择十八个客观指标，建立客观指标体系。考虑到不同年龄段的偏好，构建了一个综合的社区生存能力评估框架，将主观感知和客观指标结合在一起。然后，将其用于评估宁波市1394个居住社区的宜居性。该研究有三个重要结果。首先，不同年龄组对城市社区宜居性的要求有不同的偏好。他们最看重的指标集中在以下两个方面：运输的便利性和配套设施的完整性。第二，地区间社区的宜居性存在明显的异质性。第三，社区的宜居性显示了从市中心到周围环境的空间格局在逐渐减少。