Distribution and Clustering of Turkish Cities on the Principle Components of Sustainable Quality of Life

Abstract

This article aimed to evaluate the quality of life across the NUTS-3 regions in Turkey with spatial aspects regarding objective and subjective indicators so that to contribute into socio-economic development and urbanization policies. Bringing the discussion of economists and geographers in measuring urban quality of life into regional development and sustainability context, this study applied principal component and k-means cluster analysis. Accordingly, five components constitute urban life quality in Turkey. Most distinguishing components are urbanization with "Higher Life Standards" and urbanization as "Happy, Healthy and Secure". That is, more economic, physical and social infrastructure investments seem always not to provide happiness and satisfaction. Based on these components, the cluster analysis revealed four city clusters. Cluster-2, which encompass greater cities and their neighbors with various scales in western Turkey, has the highest life standards and obtains intermediately happy residents. Surrounding them, Cluster-3 includes medium-small scale cities, which are the happiest cities that satisfy well-being utmost. Despite medium-level life standards, Cluster-I possesses unhappiest cities mostly in eastern and southeastern regions with greater population. In the same region, Cluster-4 cities are happier in spite of their lower level objective qualities. Based on results, higher objective life quality in greater cities addresses centralization and spillover effects, while lower subjective quality tends to be centrifugal. As greater cities experience both positive and negative influences of urbanization, the subjective evaluations decline in contrast to neighboring and more distant cities. Moreover, cities of eastern and southeastern regions seem to experience less positives and more externalities, which might be due to security problems.