Assessment of urban quality of life in Ardabil city using integrated remote sensing data and spatial analysis

The main purpose of the present study was to evaluate the quality of urban life in Ardabil city using a combination of remote sensing data and spatial information. To achieve the final index of quality of life in Ardabil, sub-criteria related to four main criteria of environmental hazards, social, access and physical were selected separately based on the research background. The ANP process was used to assign weight to these sub-criteria and criteria. Then Arc map software was used to produce quality of life map in each territory separately and to achieve the final quality of life index in Ardabil city. The TOPSIS model was also used to rank different areas of the city in terms of quality of life. Spatial distribution of quality of life index in Ardabil city indicates that quality of life is moderate so that region 1 and parts of regions 2 and 4 have a higher quality of life compared to other parts of the city. Zone 3 has a low rating in this regard. The findings also indicate that among the effective domains of urban quality of life, social criteria, environmental hazards, access to public and physical services are respectively as significant as 0.28, 0.27, 0.25 and 0.20, are the most important factor in analyzing urban quality of life. The results also demonstrate the high capability of remote sensing technology combined with spatial data to assess quality of life in urban areas, which can assist urban planners and managers to better manage the city.