Abstract:
The research on "A Test of Indicators for the Development of a Livable City and Community : A Case Study of The National Housing Authority's Communities" aims to examine the existing indicators, that were established by the authorities concerned, through the consideration of testing measures, testing methodology, and the source of data; and whether these indicators were qualified enough to identify the livability of the community and city. Thirty two co-indicators were designed and categorized into 4 groups according to the elements of the communities. They were 1) the elements of the physical community, infrastructure and environment 2) the health, property, safety and quality of life of the residents and local knowledge 3) the community's economy, and 4) the community management and participation of residents. The study areas were the Nawamin Housing Community Project, the Ramkhamhaeng Housing Community Project, and the Romklao Housing Community Project Phase III. The data collection was done through the review of documents and literature, such as NHA annual reports, statistical reports, and interviews with the personnel of the authorities concerned including the metropolitan police station, district office, and NHA community housing projects. The research revealed that the improvement of indicator definition, testing methodology, and data sources were required to enhance the efficiency of all 32 co-indicators. It was found that a lack of data base at the community-level has brought about the co-indicators to unqualified testing. Presently, only those at provincial and national levels are available. However, they have not been recorded according to the designed indicators. Regarding the testing methodology, only some indicators were found to be appropriate for identifying the livability of a large area consisting of basic facilities and utilities that enable the calculation of the population proportion in that area, for instance the patients in a health care center in proportion to the total population. Besides, the testing of some indicators required scientific and statistical measurements in order to tackle some complicated ones. Also, the unclear definition of some indicators caused the collection of incorrect data. However, there were 16 indicators with adequate data for the testing of the study communities. They included belonging to permanent housing, waste and garbage disposal, public space, complaints about water, air, and sound quality, criminal damage cases, the number of deaths from crime, the number of car accidents, the number of deaths from vehicles, income per capita, the budget for developing livable communities and cities, the number of group members, the frequency of organizing activities to gain the local administrative participation, the number of the people participating in local administration, and the reactions of the complaints. The sources of data included the NHA community housing project offices, the district office, and the metropolitan police station. In conclusion, the qualified indicators for development of livable cities and communities should be easy to collect and time and resource-saving. In addition, the sources of data for testing should be in line with the definition of indicators. Hence, all 32 indicators should be adjusted to comply with the community-level use, as well as, to enable use of the indicators at each area level. Last but not least , a hub for coordination between the communities as users of the data and the sources of data consisting of definition, testing methodology and data collection should be established. This would further enhance sound and the efficient utilization of indicators for the development of livable cities and communities