Confirmatory factor analysis
With the standardized variables, confirmatory factor analysis
(CFA) is conducted. CFA enables to group the variables with their
statistical significance providing margins to improve the first limitation
described previously e lacking systematic grouping process.
To perform CFA, a factor structure should be undertaken. Table 2
illustrates the factor structure and its associated variables. The
Population Density, Occupancy Rate, and Job Density variables all
pertain to socio-demographic patterns in the study boundary, and
Land Use, Noise, and Road Network are good proxies to indicate the
current status of the built environment. Aquifer, Geology, and
Precipitation relate to ground resources, and Hydrologic Units,
Wetlands, and Floodplain are good indices for water resources.
Finally, the Productive Farms, Vegetation, and Slope variables are
adequate measures to show the distribution of green spaces. As can
be seen, the first two factors depict man-made settings, whereas
the remaining three illustrate environment and ecological
resources.