An Assessment About the Quality of Life: Case Study of Asansol

Abstract

The ways in which the built environment can impact the quality of life (QoL) tend to vary spatio-temporally. The entire debate revolving around the ability or inability of material assets and physical infrastructure to improve QoL has been gaining ground. A thorough review of the literature reveals that not only assets but the availability of select resources are equally important to improve QoL. However, such an assessment is lacking in the context of Asansol, the second largest urban agglomeration of West Bengal. This paper aims to analyse this theme in the context of Asansol Municipal Corporation by incorporating a ward-wise analysis based on material wellbeing and the availability of select resources such as green spaces and blue spaces. The data presented has been obtained from secondary sources such as census records and Landsat imageries. A set of 23 indicators have been used following which various statistical analyses such as the calculation of Housing Index, Sanitation and Basic Amenities Index, Asset Index, Material Wellbeing Index, Correlation and principal component analysis have been carried out alongside NDBI, NDVI, ARVI, MNDWI. It can be observed that a disparity exists within the wards and in general the QoL of the entire region is not very high. The results of this chapter might help the planners and policymakers devise or implement strategies that aim to resolve micro-level disparities and could help the residents lead a better QoL.