Livability assessment within a metropolis based on the impact of integrated urban geographic factors (IUGFs) on clustering urban centers of Kolkata

The increasing drift of urbanization and its impact on urban and regional settings are a major concern for Indian cities. It draws the attention of policymakers and researchers on the growing distress towards the future of cities and community wellbeing. In this context, livability can be interpreted as a degree of interactions between citizens and their surroundings. Focusing on the Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA) India, the empirical research is endeavouring to assess livability variations of constituent urban centers based on Integrated Urban Geographic Factors (IUGFs). These factors represent the spatial interactive association of an individual with his/her urban environment. 'K' means clustering algorithm has been identified to delineate KMA into 'K' number of clusters. In the final segment, the research has forwarded the interpretation through a validation obtained from a spot opinion survey among residents of the selected clusters to comprehend the livability variations for ensuring all-inclusive wellbeing.