Digital access improves convenience — but cannot fully replace physical services

< Overview >

A research team from the Urban and Transportation Systems Laboratory, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology has developed an innovative evaluation framework that quantitatively evaluating the quality of life (QOL) in future smart cities by integrating physical accessibility (transportation networks) and digital accessibility (ICT networks). The study shows that while digital services such as telework, online learning, and e-commerce can improve convenience and support sustainability, essential in-person services and physical social interactions remain critical for well-being and equity. The findings were published in the international academic journal Sustainability (MDPI).

< Details >

Using a web survey of 6,210 people nationwide and a QOL assessment model, this study showed how digital and physical accessibility affects daily life activities, sustainability outcomes, and overall QOL. In addition, they have developed an integrated computational evaluation framework that integrates physical space accessibility through transportation networks and virtual space accessibility through ICT networks to evaluate individuals' QOL.

The main findings of this study are as follows:

• Examined the substitutability of six daily life services, including shopping, education, employment, healthcare, entertainment, and tourism, and clarified the differences in how easily each can switch between physical and digital accessibility.
• Demonstrated that enhanced digital accessibility can improve QOL by reducing travel burden, saving time, and increasing convenience, while also highlighting that face-to-face interactions and in-person services remain essential for maintaining social relationships, emotional well-being, and service quality.
• Linked digital substitution dynamics to sustainability outcomes, showing how appropriate digital adoption can contribute to decarbonization (De-CO₂) by reducing transportation demand, while emphasizing that digital-first strategies must be balanced with equitable physical access to avoid excluding vulnerable communities, such as the elderly and people who are not very familiar with digital devices.

Mutahari Mustafa, a third-year doctoral student and lead author of the study, said, "Digital tools can increase efficiency and reduce environmental impact, but cities must remain human-centric. Future sustainable cities need the right combination of digital convenience and real-world community support: integration, not replacement. We believe that the QOL evaluation framework we have introduced is suitable to consider the well-being of all people, along with the key concept of the SDGs, that no one is left behind, when evaluating different urban policies." He said.

< Future Outlook >

As future research, the research team will advance this framework into a policy decision-support tool to help governments, urban planners, and decision makers simulate digital-physical service strategies, evaluate equity outcomes, and design human-centered, sustainable smart cities by introducing and utilizing an integrated accessibility index into the QOL evaluation framework.

< Publication Information >

Mutahari,M., Sugiki,N., Suzuki,D., Hayashi,Y.,&Matsuo,K.(2025 A Computational Framework for Evaluating Quality of Life in Sustainable Urban Environments: Integrating Physical and Digital Service Accessibility. Sustainability, 17(21), 9660. 9660; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17219660