This research intends to understand whether Kaohsiung is heading toward or away from being a livable city. Additionally, it also intends to show if the developments in the city conform to the expectations of the residents. Therefore, the analysis in this research is based on objective statistics and the resident¡¦s subjective perceptions. This research utilized Time Series analysis and questionnaires to conduct the research, and used importance-performance analysis as the analytical method. The questionnaires targeted the residents in Kaohsiung City who are over 20 years of age. The total samples are 330 with 254 valid samples. The questionnaires surveyed the level of livability of Kaohsiung judging from 5 aspects: the eco-environment, culture & education, economic development, urban living & service, and medical & social welfare, reflecting the difference between the importance and performance of each aspect. Below are the suggestions concluded from the results of the research, which pointed out the improvements needed for Kaohsiung and the items that can use less attention: 1. According to the time aptitude objective statistics, Kaohsiung has shown mostly positive growth on cultural education, especially on holding cultural events and replenishing books for the public libraries. However, the economy has shown negative growth, 2. Based on importance-performance analysis, out of 23 indications, 4 of them (17.38%) fell on keep-doing area, 4(17.38%) fell on excessive supply area, 6(26.1%) fell on lower-priority area, 9(39.14%) fell on improvement-focused area. 3. Combing the data gathered from the questionnaires and statistical analysis, the items require grave improvement are raising the wages of the residents, lowering unemployment rate, and resolving the problem of abuse to children and teenagers. From both the subjective and objective analysis, items that are overly supplied are the number of times of holding cultural events and replenishing books for the pubic libraries. Based on the results from the research, it is suggested that Kaohsiung put resource to economy and medical & social welfare, while decrease overly investing cultural education.

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This research analyses attitudes to urban green spaces within the framework of compact city development models, using Uppsala as a case study and investigating the tension between growth and preservation. Compact city literature strongly promotes the importance of green space within urban environments for both social and ecological wellbeing and highlights what becomes an increasing requirement for this as populations within urban areas are densified, which is a concomitant goal of compact city models. Yet in Uppsala, a contradiction appears whereby the municipality has firmly embraced a compact city model of development yet urban green areas are still being developed. This thesis first provides an environmental history of development and planning within Uppsala, highlighting the socio-ecological forces that co-create urban environments. An examination of the comprehensive planning policy documents over the last thirty years is performed which aligns the plans of Uppsala Municipality with the key features of the compact city model. Interviews were also conducted with three relevant actors from the municipality and the discourse was analysed. A combined analysis of the plans and the interviews results in an understanding and interpretation of the approach of the municipality to urban green spaces along with the creation of narratives around development and planning that look to explain Uppsala’s decisions around urban green spaces. The conclusions are that growth appears to take precedence over preservation of green space, both discursively and practically, and that the balance is towards the socio-economic in defining development. This is discussed in relation to ideas of hegemony, neoliberalism, andsustainable development.

The concept of livable city was put forward naturally and began to gain more attention when people care more about human needs during the economic development. In this paper, we define a livable city as an urban area takes the residents' demand as first priority. It has a pleasant ecological environment, a mature community with rich public resources such as culture, transportation and medical system, and being economically well developed. Our study first reviews the theory development and literature on the subject. Then we set up a structural equation model (SEM) to verify the theory based on early works and find the dimensions that are important to the development of livable city. Using the data from China City Yearbook, 2007, a SEM analysis was performed. The result showed that a well developing economic system has positive influence on a city's livability.