Multi-Criteria Decision Making to Measure Quality of Life: An Integrated Approach for Implementation in the Urban Area of Thessaloniki, Greece A.-M. Feneri & D. Vagiona & N. Karanikolas Received: 5 January 2014 /Accepted: 6 June 2014 # Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht and The International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS) 2014 Abstract The purpose of this study is the examination of the concept of ‘Quality of Life’ as well as a thorough analysis of the relevant approaches for evaluation in an urban environment. It is a complex approach of the quality of life (Quality of Life) that is pursued, as it is combined with multi-criteria decision-making methods, for a full investigation of the urban lifestyle in the urban area of Thessaloniki. From the great variety of multi-criteria methods, the Analytical Hierarchy Process was chosen, which can easily be applied nowadays, as an indispensable tool in the decision making process. The model of Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) is an effective way for an interactive exploration of decision-making strategies, with citizen participation, attempting to classify the aspects of quality of life. An integrated approach is proposed, combining the two approaches into a single model, able to be implemented as a planning tool to capture the conditions of living and the degree of residents’ prosperity, using both objective indicators and subjective criteria. Keywords Quality of Life . Objective indicators . Subjective criteria . Analytical Hierarchy Process . Integrated approach Introduction The current state of the urban environment, the impact of urban development to space and cities, combined with the environmental degradation and long-term urban pressures on the surroundings, lead to the need of an urgent redesign by a new approach planning. This new dimension in spatial planning can be provided by the modern concept of ‘Quality of Life – QoL’, which can be divided in two sub-dimensions: Objective QoL and Subjective QoL. As a multi-dimensional issue, it has attracted the Applied Research Quality Life DOI 10.1007/s11482-014-9335-1 A.<M. Feneri (*) : D. Vagiona : N. Karanikolas Department of Spatial Planning and Development School of Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece e-mail: amari.fen@gmail.com