Interrelated aspects of residential suburbanization and collective quality of life: A case study in Czech suburbs

Most people moving to suburban municipalities seek to enhance their quality of life. However, residential suburbanization may contribute to spatial separation of the population and adversely affect the collective quality of life. This article focuses on socio-geographical aspects of quality of life in the context of suburbanization from a theoretical perspective and also based on a case study in the countryside around the Czech city of Olomouc. Due to the complex nature of this issue, a range of qualitatively oriented methods was applied in the municipalities most affected by residential suburbanization. The findings of the case study show that quality of life for people living in these suburbs is influenced by geographical conditions as well as relations within the community and residents' participation in public life in the municipality.