Local Urban Management for Improving the Quality of Life in Algerian Collective Housing Estates

Abstract

The collective housing estates, setting, and place of life of thousands of people is an element that exerts a great influence on the image, positive or negative, that a city reflects. These urban entities accumulate several dysfunctions, deficiencies, and problems, thereby altering their inhabitants’ quality of life and well-being. This paper aims to assess the quality of life in these cities to improve it. For this purpose, a combinatorial approach will be used, based on the multicriteria approach, through the questionnaire survey and the lexicometric analysis. This combination of methods is a novelty in this field of research. It brings about an adequate change according to the real needs and expectations of the inhabitants and goes beyond the frequently used walking diagnosis. To sustainably improve the environment and the quality of life of the inhabitants of these cities, and, thus, to overcome the accumulated spatial, social, and economic deficiencies, a new policy is required. This is local urban management as a curative, multidisciplinary, and coresponsible approach. It aims to enhance urban quality, create quality spaces, and develop residential attractiveness by promoting services and activities within and near these cities to reduce social tensions, vandalism, and delinquency. Local urban management, which aims to be sustainable, offers a pleasant living environment, a better quality of life for inhabitants, and a fulfilling social life.