Axiology of Urban Quality. The City as a Functionings System

The complexity of the contemporary city from an economic, social, cultural, natural, health, environmental point of view and regarding the effects of climate change, poses a problem of urban quality of life for various reasons. New interpretative models must be identified to overcome these new challenges. Measuring the value of urban quality is equivalent to identifying the merit of the city has in producing individual and social well-being. This issue has both conceptual and operational implications. In the field of theoretical approaches to the study of quality of life, the Sen’s capability approach has become relevant. The paper promotes an axiology of the value of urban quality able to grasp the complexity that characterizes living in the contemporary city. Based on the approach to capability, the city can be interpreted as the set of functionings, the urban policies can be interpreted as equipment to expand the capabilities of people living there. Based on capability approach the urban quality can be interpreted as the urban quality of life, that is as a measurement of the capabilities achieved by people who experience the city, in the individual perspective as well-being achievement, in the social perspective as agency achievement. In this regard, the paper proposes an interpretative model and an operational approach aimed at measuring the urban quality of life, to support decision-makers in the policies that encourage the achievement of the capabilities by people who live in the city, producing individual and social well-being.