Urban environment quality assessment and its ecological factors

Saint Petersburg State University, Institute of Earth Science, Universitetskaya emb., 7/9, St.-Petersburg, 199034 Russia

^* Corresponding author: a.shepeleva@spbu.ru

Abstract

The article analyses the international and domestic experience of integrated approach and the process of indicators system formation for the urban environment quality assessment. The analysis of the presented indexes and indicators systems of the urban development quality showed that the ecological factors and the quality of urban environment occupy a significant place among the main components of the assessment. It is noted that during the last decade in the Russian Federation there was significantly increased an interest for the development of various indicators and mechanisms for a comprehensive assessment of the situation for solving economic, social and environmental problems in regions and cities. One of the generally accepted approach creation process results was the approval of the Methodology for the formation of the Urban Environment Quality Index. The possibilities of taking into account such ecological factors like the atmospheric air pollution, water bodies quality, the elimination of accumulated environmental damage results and a noise level were analysed in the Urban Environment Quality Index. It is concluded that at the first stage of expanding and optimizing the criteria system for calculating the Urban Environment Quality Index, it is necessary to consider the possibility of applying criteria reflecting the results of federal projects to resolve environmental problems of cities for the development of the urban environment and improving its quality.