A Better Human Settlement Environment, Not Always a Happier Life: The Unexpected Spatial Relationships in Hunan, China

Clarifying the spatial adaptations between the human settlement environment quality (HSEQ) and residents’ happiness perception (RHP) in county towns and addressing shortcomings in the human settlements in a differentiated manner are important paths to promoting high-quality development of new-type urbanization in China’s counties. This study takes 101 county-level urban areas (CLUAs) in Hunan as examples, constructing evaluation systems for HSEQ and RHP from explicit and perception perspectives, respectively. Based on the entropy-weighted TOPSIS model, we evaluate the HSEQ and RHP of each CLUA and analyze their spatial adaptation characteristics and causes. The results show the following: (1) The mean HSEQ value of all CLUAs is 0.290. Except for the urban areas of prefecture-level cities, CLUAs in economically developed areas such as the Dongting Lake Plain and the Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan metropolitan area have higher HSEQ values. Western Hunan is at a medium level, while central Hunan is relatively low. (2) The mean RHP value of all CLUAs is 0.420. The RHP values in ethnic minority areas of western Hunan and urban areas of prefecture-level cities are higher, and eastern Hunan is at a medium level, while central Hunan remains relatively low. (3) Seventy-two CLUAs are classified as having basic, moderate, or high adaptation, mainly distributed in the core area of the Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan metropolitan area and northwestern Hunan. Other areas are relatively low, indicating that a better HSEQ does not necessarily mean a higher RHP. These findings will help develop differentiated HSEQ improvement plans to enhance residents’ sense of gain and well-being.