Neighborhood encroachment and quality of life: a perception-based analysis of residents and stakeholders in Sri Lanka’s Western coastal belt

Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of spatial encroachments in coastal area on the quality of life (QoL) of residents in the Dehiwala coastal belt, Western province in Sri Lanka. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-methods approach was used, incorporating both, quantitative and qualitative analyses. Primary data was collected through questionnaire surveys and in-depth interviews, respectively, with residents and professionals to capture diverse perspectives. Three key variables of infrastructural, social and ecological were used to analyze the encroachments, and the psychological domain was used to describe the QoL. Data was analyzed through both statistical techniques for the data collected through the questionnaire from residents and a thematic analysis for the qualitative data collected using interviews from professionals. Findings The result of the quantitative approach indicates that social and ecological encroachment disruptions significantly influence on QoL, while infrastructural encroachments have no statistically significant effect. Social issues emerged as the strongest predictor, followed by ecological issues. The qualitative analysis further revealed social and ecological concerns with more emphasis on the regulations and policy gaps. Originality/value Existing research focuses on environmental and infrastructural impacts, but the direct effect of encroachments on residents’ QoL is largely ignored. This study addresses that gap by systematically examining social, infrastructural and ecological encroachments and their unique contributions to QoL disruptions. In addition, the psychological domain was used to evaluate QoL as a new approach to define the variable.