Urban sustainability and perceived satisfaction in neoliberal cities

Abstract

© 2022 Elsevier LtdIn light of growing levels of urbanisation globally, the concept of urban sustainability has become an increasingly important element of the general discussion on sustainable development. However, few studies have addressed the various dimensions of sustainability and the different territorial scales on which day-to-day urban life takes place. Instances of discontent and social crisis have become commonplace in many of the world's major cities. Around the globe, inequality is seen as associated with a neoliberal urbanisation process that offers few solutions to issues of social exclusion and the climate crisis. The present work proposes the use of households' perceived satisfaction when analysing urban sustainability in neoliberal cities. Data is taken from the Sustainable Urban Development Perception Survey, conducted in the two main metropolitan areas of Chile, a country that since the 1970s has been widely considered to be a prime example of orthodox neoliberalism. We propose and test new dimensions with which to address urban sustainability, through the lens of perceived satisfaction, a key element in the analysis of the discontent that is sweeping across major cities globally.