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Where Is the Best Place to Live in the European Union? A Synthetic Assessment of External Residential Environmental Quality from a Sustainability Perspective by Degree of Urbanisation
The contemporary approach to assessing the housing conditions of households requires taking into account not only the physical characteristics of dwellings but also the quality of their surroundings. From a sustainability perspective, the quality of the external residential environment constitutes a key dimension of sustainable living conditions, closely linked to environmental well-being, spatial equity, and the objectives of sustainable urban and territorial development in the European Union (EU). Despite the growing awareness of the importance of the living environment for residents’ well-being, this issue remains insufficiently represented in analyses addressing the territorial variations in household housing conditions in the EU countries. The scientific literature reveals a lack of comprehensive comparative studies that would link subjective assessments of external residential environmental quality with the level of urbanisation, enabling a more complete evaluation of the living environment and its spatial variability. The aim of the study was therefore to assess the perceived external residential environmental quality of households in EU countries, taking into account the level of urbanisation—differences between urban, town, and rural areas. The study aimed to test the hypothesis that “The external residential environmental quality in EU countries significantly varies depending on the level of urbanisation and regional affiliation, with the highest quality observed in rural areas, particularly in Western European countries.” The study was conducted based on data from the Eurostat database, which were processed using descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and taxonomic methods. The results of the study confirmed that the external residential environmental quality of households in EU countries significantly differs depending on the level of urbanisation and regional affiliation. The highest level of residential environment quality for households is observed in rural areas of Northern and Eastern European countries. The greatest challenges occur in large cities, particularly in Western Europe, indicating the need to intensify efforts to improve the quality of the living environment in these areas.
Powiązania funkcjonalne gmin wiejskich z ośrodkami miejskimi a ich potencjał dochodowy i inwestycyjny w kontekście inwestycji w transformację niskoemisyjną w Polsce
The aim of this article is to assess whether the functional location of rural municipalities in relation to urban centres is associated with differences in their activity in acquiring low-carbon projects co-financed by EU funds. In addition, the study identifies financial factors (revenue and investment potential) that co-occur with this activity in rural municipalities located within Functional Urban Areas (FUAs) and outside them. The study covered rural municipalities analysed according to their membership in Functional Urban Areas (FUAs) and macroregions. The analysis was based on data from Statistics Poland, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy. Descriptive statistics and classification tree methods were applied. The results indicate that FUA membership is associated with differences in the revenue potential of rural municipalities, whereas its relationship with investment potential is ambiguous and depends on macroregional conditions. This differentiation is reflected in municipalities’ activity in implementing low-carbon projects. Municipalities belonging to FUAs participate in such projects more frequently and achieve higher financial intensity of investments per capita and per km, although the scale of this effect varies across macroregions. The classification tree analysis also shows that the configuration of financial factors co-occurring with the analysed investment activity differs depending on functional location. In municipalities belonging to FUAs, structural and development-related indicators are of greater importance, whereas in municipalities outside FUAs the key role is played by current financial condition, particularly the ability to generate an operating surplus.