Living Well by Design: Unpacking 5D Built‑Environment Drivers of Household Life Satisfaction in Public-led and Private-led Housing Communities in Suzhou, China

Rapid urbanization strains sustainable development, resource allocation, and socio-spatial equity in the community. These pressures heighten the need to study life satisfaction, a key indicator of urban well-being. Spatial quality, underpinned by the 5D theory—Density, Diversity, Design, Destination Accessibility, and Distance to Transit—has significantly affected life satisfaction. However, ongoing debate remains regarding the alignment between perceived environmental requirements in different community types and objective spatial conditions. Focusing on the 5D theory, this study employs Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) on 1,066 survey samples to clarify these dynamics. Results show that (1) density and diversity consistently impact life satisfaction, (2) satisfaction drivers differ—public-led affordable communities prioritize environmental pollution, income, and property services, while private-led commercial communities focus on sports facilities, housing quality, and population density, and (3) educational institutions, particularly school districts, play a pivotal role in household satisfaction in particularly in commercial community. These insights drive sustainable community regeneration, informing policy and design decision-making across diverse urban landscapes.