Indicators for assessing the environmental quality of urban living

Abstract

This research involved the design and implementation of a methodology for assessing the quality of the built environment in urban settlements. The methodology began with the establishment of the state of the art on the subject, emphasizing the conceptual aspects of sustainability as the highest aspiration to achieve in the evaluation of a settlement and determining the significant components of the problem to work. Subsequently characterized the existing system of urban settlements in Nicaragua and identified settlements under study. Typological classifications were identified existing urban human settlements in Nicaragua, which was completed by proposing a new way of grouping according to the structuring of components, allowing the selection of settlements where you applied the instrumental. The following evaluation methodology developed consists of the theoretical tools, the histograms of environmental assessment and parent assessment of quality. It ended the instrumental validation process designed to apply to four selected settlements, based on a sample of 5% of all settlements in the area of study selected. We evaluated the results, relating them to other area analysis, which enabled to demonstrate their effectiveness and efficiency.

Keywords: urban human settlements, habitat urban built environment, environmental quality.

DOI: 10.5377/nexo.v22i1.41

Nexo: Revista Científica Vol.22, No.01, pp.23-31/Agosto 2009