Evaluation of quality of life in new towns using subjective quality assessment (Case study: Hashtgerd new town)

This study aims to identify the components of the subjective quality of life and measure the perceptual quality of the environment based on the satisfaction level of residents in Hashtgerd New Town. To this end, the descriptive-analytical approach was used, and the data collection method was based on a questionnaire. The components of the quality of life in the area under investigation were identified using exploratory factor analysis. Six factors were extracted, which explained 56.83% of the variance in the dependent variable, i.e., quality of life in the subjective dimension. The indicators were also analyzed and measured using different statistical methods, such as frequency distribution, spearman correlation coefficient, Phi, Cramer's, and one-sample t-tests. The average cutoff scoresfor the components of ‘access to neighborhood services’, ‘environmental’, ‘place attachment’, ‘housing facilities’, ‘readability’, and ‘security’ were 16.87, 15.9, 6.96, 15.47, 7.62, and 7.74, respectively, and their differences with the average observed scores for these components were 4.13, 1/2, 2.04, 5.53, 1.38, and 1.26, respectively. The results of the one-sample t-tests showed that these differences were statistically significant as the significance levels were all less than 0.05. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the satisfaction of the citizens in this area with the quality of the environment is not at the desired level. Furthermore, the results indicated that, unlike the variables of age and level of education, the length of residence, gender, and marital status were factors substantially affecting the satisfaction of citizens.