People rate neighborhood by appearance

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say the general appearance of a neighborhood is key to residential satisfaction.

The study, published in Environment and Behavior, found the single most important factor affecting how satisfied residents are about the area where they live is the appearance of their neighborhood.

Other factors influencing satisfaction included city services, commuting distance, nearness to friends and family, social problems and safety.

"People actually use different criteria when they rate their neighborhood depending on where they live. One resident will look at the good things about their neighborhood like naturalness, and another will look at the bad things in their neighborhood like crime," study co-author Misun Hur of Ohio State University in Columbus says in a statement. "And people need to think differently about how to improve neighborhoods because there are not general guidelines for everything."

The study is based on a survey of 2,060 homeowners in Franklin County, Ohio, conducted by the Ohio State University Survey Research Center in the summer and fall of 2001.