Social attractiveness of the urban physical environment: Cities of Siberia

Abstract.

Sociological polls and expert studies were used to differentiate urban land attractiveness in residential and non-residential districts in Siberian cities of Russia. The research indicates that social attractiveness of the urban physical environment does not accurately represent genuine qualities of this environment. Attractiveness reflects the combination of at least three main environmental and social determinants: 1) average level of urban development; 2) range of city environmental qualities, and 3) social composition of city population. There are also significant differences between environmental priorities of the general city population, and the professional values and priorities of experts and city officials traditionally implemented in the process of professional decision-making. A system of indices (the Index of Prestige, the Residents’ Evaluation Index, the Business Attractiveness Index) are proposed for use during the transition from a planned to a market economy, for both long-term planning and urban land appraisal.