Quality of life inequalities, housing Price polarisation and spatial environmental inequality in post-socialist Brno (2011−2021)

This study examines the spatial and temporal dynamics of quality of life (QoL) inequalities in Brno, Czech Republic, between 2011 and 2021, using a composite QoL index comprising 34 indicators across five domains: environmental quality, demographic structure, socio-economic conditions, housing infrastructure, and housing availability. Employing the Theil index, K-medoids cluster analysis, Spearman correlation, and a cross-domain correlation matrix, the study analyses changes in the spatial differentiation of quality of life at the level of municipal districts. Results reveal persistent structural disparities: the environmental domain exhibits the highest inequality in both years, while housing availability shows a marked increase in polarisation driven by rising property prices and uneven supply. Cross-domain correlations indicate a weak positive relationship between environmental quality and socio-economic conditions, consistent with patterns of spatial environmental inequality, though insufficient to constitute direct evidence of environmental injustice. Cluster analysis identifies five stable spatial trajectories with path-dependent characteristics. A weak correlation between housing availability and the composite QoL index (ρ = 0.12 in 2021) points to a partial divergence of housing market dynamics from other QoL dimensions — a pattern linked to financialisation and post-socialist institutional legacies. Interpreted through the capability approach, the findings highlight persistent inequalities in urban opportunity structures and call for integrated policy responses targeting environmental quality and housing cost pressures.