An integrated assessment of neighbourhood quality to enhance urban resilience

Purpose This study introduces a systematic and reproducible Neighbourhood Quality Index (NQI) based on quantifiable environmental attributes to provide a consistent system for evaluating neighbourhoods undergoing urban transformations and tests its feasibility across diverse contexts. Design/methodology/approach Four environmental attributes and 19 theoretically grounded and quantifiable measures are identified for pilot neighbourhoods in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, and Sydney, Australia – cities implementing new planning policies in response to recent urban changes. These measures, calculated using published statistics, quantity calculations, and GIS-based syntactic and attraction analyses, are synthesised using a hybrid TOPSIS-EM multi-criteria method combined with structured expert weighing to derive the NQI. Findings By integrating systematic data across multiple spatial scales, the multi-domain NQI captured subtle neighbourhood characteristics, including disparities in service distribution, and enabled population-specific insights. The hybrid TOPSIS-EM approach demonstrated improved transparency and robustness compared to earlier methods, yielding consistent neighbourhood rankings. Practical implications The data-led NQI could inform policy decisions on allocating resources towards developing and retrofitting healthy, resilient, and sustainable neighbourhoods. Originality/value This study is a response to recent urban changes driven by climate change, hybrid working, and the COVID-19 pandemic, which highlight the need to enhance neighbourhood quality (NQ) for health and well-being. It addresses gaps in existing NQ indices by developing an integrated, data-driven assessment to support urban resilience and liveability in practice and policy.