As part of the implementation of the Wellbeing-First Vision for Malta’s Environment 2050, the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) commissioned a study targeting environmental wellbeing in Malta’s towns and villages.
This study was commissioned to enable ERA to prioritise those areas that need to be targeted by policy and also to help identify areas where funding for environmental projects would give the most benefit to communities. It will be used in relation to the updated State of the Environment Report by 2025, the implementation of the National Strategy for the Environment to 2050 and ongoing projects for open and green spaces. Indeed, the study highlighted that the increased availability of open spaces was deemed as a contributing factor to improve the environmental quality of localities; this is also the direction which is being pursued in various environmental projects.
The study in itself included focus groups and interviews with residents from different localities so as to accurately represent the Maltese context and was carried out in collaboration with the Faculty of Social Wellbeing within the University of Malta.
According to the study, the majority of residents are content with their current neighbourhoods. However, those living in densely populated urban areas, like the northern harbour district, would prefer to see more open spaces. Respondents to the study also indicated construction and traffic as the two factors that have a negative impact on their quality of life.
7 march 2024
