Population Mobility and City Livability: An Empirical Study from Java Cities, Indonesia

Abstract

Population mobility is one of the key factors contributing to the growth of the urban population. Consequently, cities encounter challenges related to livability, including limited access to basic services in education and healthcare, reduced safety, limited transportation accessibility, and affordability of recreational facilities. Literature on population mobility frames urban livability as a non-market good, thus requiring an approach to implicitly derive its value to quantify it into a city livability index. As quantitative research, this study aims to calculate the value of the city livability index and assess its impact on population mobility. We use secondary data, national socio-economic surveys and village potential published by the Central Bureau of Statistics. The findings of this study indicate that cities with high index values typically serve as capitals and hubs of government, commerce, industry, and services. Empirical findings found that livability substantially influences population mobility into cities, with basic services like education, healthcare, and public mass transportation playing pivotal roles. We recommend that city governments provide comprehensive and high-quality facilities to enhance the living experience for their residents.