An Integrated Approach for Developing an Urban Livability Composite Index — A Cities’ Ranking Road Map to Achieve Urban Sustainability

Livability is a concept that assesses the quality of life and relative performance of different regions and communities, based on qualitative and quantitative factors. The assessment of urban livability is a complex and multidimensional task of critical importance for informed and transparent policy and decision-making. This study develops an Urban Livability Composite Index for eight selected cities in Punjab, Pakistan, using an integrated framework combining multiple dimensions of urban quality of life. The study employs the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to derive dimension weights from expert judgment and constructs a reproducible ranking methodology. Findings reveal significant inter-city disparities in livability performance and demonstrate a road map for cities seeking to embed livability indicators into urban sustainability planning.