This document discusses using the capability approach to assess urban quality of life. It first provides background on the capability approach and defines urban quality of life. It then presents a benchmark model for capability approach assessments with requirements like an explicit capability list, a focus on individuals and spatial distribution. Several case studies are reviewed that do and do not explicitly apply the capability approach. Key conclusions note challenges in operationalizing the approach like defining capabilities and collecting appropriate data, but that the capability approach provides a new perspective for urban quality of life research.

1. Capability Approach in assessment of
Urban Q l of Life
b Quality f f
by Giovanna Fancello
Phd student in Architecture and Planning
Department of Architecture Design and Planning
University of Sassari – Italy

2. Capability Approach in assessment of Urban Quality of Life
This is a survey paper on recent studies of application of the capability approach on
the evaluation of the quality of life related to urban and territorial environment.
The particular focus of the comparative exercise is to explore the degree and the
ways in which different methodological and operational approaches may be effective
to produce results and to reveal and shed light on eminently urban and territorial
factors of human capabilities.
1. The capability approach and the Urban Quality of life
2. The Benchmark model
3. Case studies
4. Conclusions

3. Capability Approach in assessment of Urban Quality of Life
The capability approach...
The Capability Approach can be provisionally defined as an approach to comparative quality-
of-life assessment and to theorizing about basic social justice. It holds that the key question to
ask, when comparing societies and assessing them for their basic decency or justice, is, “What is
each person able to do and to be?”(Nussbaum, 2011)
...and the Urban Quality of Life
The concept of Urban QoL may be intended in two different ways
a. mere criterion of spatial delimitation of the area of study
b. urban, territorial and spatial components and factors of human capabilities

4. Capability Approach in assessment of Urban Quality of Life
The Benchmark model
The model defines some requirements that should be present in a QoL assessment in
terms of the capability approach
(a) The list of capabilities. Explicit formulation – Methodological justification – Sensitivity to
the context of research – Different levels - Exhaustion and not reduction
(b) The focus on individual. The Capability approach regards the individual as the
fundamental unit of moral concern in the analysis for QoL measurement .The information
gathered for the valuation model should be indicative of urban opportunities available to
single individuals.
(c) The focus on spatial distribution of capabilities and context inequalities.
(d) The assessment of capabilities and not only functionings.
Robeyns, 2003

5. Capability Approach in assessment of Urban Quality of Life
Case studies
... that do not make explicit reference to the CA
S24O. Italian financial newspaper “Il Sole 24 Ore” produces for over twenty years a dossier on
the “livability” of the 107 Italian provinces.
CI.
CI Capacity inventory (Asset-Based Community Development Institute) is a practice adopted in
Institute)*
deprived neighborhoods which aims to develop urban policies and activities based on the
analysis of individual capacity and skills not develop in low-income population living in the area.
low income
LIMMA. Liu** builds a model of QoL to assess in 83 metropolitan areas the “opportunity for
individual h i ” d th b d th t thi l d t i
i di id l choice” and the burden that this leads to increasing Q L
i QoL.
WSC. Rogers’s research*** intent to analyse urban QoL from a perspective very close to the CA
and starting from the consideration that social capital is strictly linked to the urban structure and
involved in improving QoL.
*McKnight, J.Kretzmann (1996);**B. Liu (1975;1977; 1978) ;***S. H. Rogers, J. M. Hastead, K. H. Gardner, C. H. Carlson (2010)

6. Capability Approach in assessment of Urban Quality of Life
Case studies
...that intent to operationalize the CA in assessing urban QoL
GW. The Glasgow project* seeks to develop a questionnaire to measure outcomes within the
capabilities framework for use in the evaluation of public health and social interventions.
WB. Wellbebe**
WB W llb b ** research program b ild a well-being i d i B l i f the democratic
h builds ll b i index in Belgium for h d i
choice of policies for sustainable development of the territory.
MI. E. Chiappero Martinetti, S. Moroni and G. Nuvolati (2011) conducted in Milan a research***
on poverty (understood as a lack of well-being) starting from the Sen’s concept of QoL.
UCC. This research**** aims to assess UQoL in developed countries starting from the analysis of
children s
children’s urban capabilities.
capabilities
*P.K. Lorgelly, et al.(2008);**L. Van Ootegem, E. Verhofstadt (2011);***E. Chiappero-Martinetti, et. al. (2011);****I. Blečić, A.Cecchini, V. Talu (2011)

7. Capability Approach in assessment of Urban Quality of Life
Case studies compared to the benchmark model
(b)Focus on (c)Spatial
CA Research (a)List (d)Functionings or Capabilities
individual distribution
Only for few Only some information are
Not Not
S24O indicators but not representative of functionings or
defined analysed
an aim capabilities
iented
Explicit Analysed in the asset All indicators are representatives of
CI Implicit
aim mapping capabilities
mplicitly ori
Not Not All are functionings, only some
LIMMA Analysed
defined analysed represent capabilities
Explicit
E plicit Analysed
Anal sed at All are functionings, only some
f nctionings onl
Im
WSC Implicit
aim neighborhood scale represent capabilities
Explicitly Implicitly and only Analyse capabilities by asking people
GW Defined
analysed partially analysed in functionings
Explicitly Analyse both capabilities and
riented
WB Defined Not analysed
analysed functionings for each dimension
xplicitly or
Implicitly Partially Analysed but not Assess some capabilities by analysing
MI
Defined analysed always with valid data functionings and public endowments
Explicitly Starting from functionings to
Ex
UCC Defined Analysed
analysed understand some capabilities

8. Capability Approach in assessment of Urban Quality of Life
Conclusions
The CA can become a new point of view for research on urban QoL however
QoL,
studies that aim to assess urban QoL from CA are still few due to the difficulty in
operationalise the approach and in find adequate data.
Among the studies that implicitly refer to the CA it is possible to drawn on some
methodological approachs to assess capabilities and the links between individual
g pp p
quality of life and urban structure.
Some problems persist:
(1) Difficulty in defining an explicit list in reference to the context of research
(2) Most of the researches analyse functionings and not capabilities because of the lack of data
and the difficulty to assess their complexity
(3) The capability set is defined without consider individual preferences
(4) The lack in the analysis of the spatial distribution of individual and contextual inequalities

9. Capability Approach in assessment of Urban Quality of Life
Thank you!
Comments are welcomed
Giovanna Fancello
Phd student i Architecture and Planning
d in A hi d Pl i
Department of Architecture Design and Planning
University of Sassari – Italy
giannina.fancello@gmail.com