Review and analysis of the happy city situation and Identification its determinants in small urban spaces (Case: Ravansar Township)

Subject Areas : Sustainable urban development

Davood Jamini ¹ , Alireza Jamshidi ² , Zahra Esmaili ³

1 - Assistant Professor, Department of Geomorphology, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran Department of Zrebar Lake Environmental Research, Kurdistan Studies Institute, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran
2 - Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
3 - Master of Geography and Urban Planning, Payame Noor University, Vazvan Branch, Isfahan, Iran

Received: 2021-11-26 Accepted : 2021-12-22 Published : 2021-12-22

Keywords: Sustainable Urban Development, quality of life, Happy City, Policy Making, Ravansar,

Abstract :

      Providing and promoting the level of happiness and vitality of citizens is one of the most important pillars of quality of life in urban spaces Which in recent decades, has attracted increasing attention from experts and urban planners and Has been raised as one of the most important goals of governments and the United Nations. The purpose of this quantitative and applied study has been done using a combination of descriptive-analytical and exploratory methods, is a study and analyze the situation of Shad city and identify its determinants in small urban spaces Which has been done as a case study in Ravansar city which is part of Kermanshah province. The statistical population of the study includes 7122 heads of households and among them with Using sample size calculation methods, 364 people were estimated as a statistical sample and the samples were selected completely randomly. The main research tool for collecting field data is a researcher-made questionnaire whose validity and reliability have been confirmed. The results showed that among the three indicators of a happy city (Social, physical and economic indicators) The average of social index with the value of 3.124 was significantly higher than the average of base (number 3) and The average of two physical and economic indicators respectively with values of 2.608 and 2.587, Have been significantly lower than the baseline mean. The results of the survey showed the general condition of the city happy the average calculated with the value of 2.788 Has been significantly below average. Regarding the determinants of a happy city, the results showed Due to the four identified key factors, 61.956% of the variance of the dependent variable has been explained. These factors and the percentage of variance of their specific value in order of importance are: Physical stability (21.041), Socio-cultural sustainability (16.4), Economic Stability (13.151) and Environmental sustainability (11.356). The identified factors seem to be a subset of the macro factor "integrated and efficient urban management" and Promoting this factor, as the main source of most policies and planning, can have a significant impact on the realization of a happy city in the study area.Extended AbstractIntroduction:One of the most important pillars of social sustainability and achieving sustainable development is to improve the quality of life of residents of different residential spaces for which several dimensions and components can be considered. Meanwhile, happiness and vitality are one of the most important psychological components of quality of life. Evidence shows that human society is always looking for more peace, well-being, happiness and vitality in their lives in order to improve the quality of life. The importance of happiness and symbols among citizens is such that in most societies, more joy and happiness than life is a major goal and indicator.In expressing the importance of happiness in the development of urban spaces, it is sufficient to mention that the main goal of governments is to provide more happiness to citizens and to provide vitality and happiness of citizens is one of the ultimate goals of sustainable urban development and one of the central concepts of sustainable development since 2000. It is considered later in the UN debate. Studies also show that happiness has a direct effect on the life expectancy index of citizens and is associated with feelings of successful outcomes in people's lives; In a way, happier people are more successful in life than others. Because of the importance of the happiness index in the sustainable development of urban spaces, according to Montgomery (the first theorist of the happy city), a city after meeting basic needs such as food and housing, should provide the following: the city should maximize pleasure and hardship Reduce; Lead us to health instead of disease; Give us the real freedom, movement and construction of life we ​​desire; Allocate space, services, facilities, pleasure and entertainment, difficulty and cost among people in a fair way; Above all, it empowers us to build and strengthen groups between friends, family, and strangers that give meaning to life and must acknowledge and share our common destiny, and open the door to solidarity, cooperation, and cooperation, as well as to us. It will help us to meet the greatest challenge of the contemporary century, namely happiness. Decreasing the level and amount of happiness and vitality among citizens, reduces the sense of social cooperation and group ties, reduces family and local solidarity, reduces emotional support and satisfaction, and weakens the presence in public arenas, and so on. Thus, strengthening the indicators and components of a happy city can be a strong step towards sustainable urban development, and conversely, the decline of indicators and components of a happy city can be effective in accelerating urban instability.Methodology:The present research is methodical, quantitative and applied, which has been done with a combination of descriptive-analytical and exploratory methods, and in it, articles, books, data of the Statistics Center of Iran, etc. have been used to collect documentary data. Questionnaire technique has been used in the field studies section. The statistical population of the study includes 7122 heads of households in Ravansar. Due to the large size of the statistical population and the difficulty of conducting the census, 364 people have been estimated as a statistical sample using the Cochran's formula. The main research tool for collecting field data is a researcher-made questionnaire that has been used to evaluate its (formal) validity from the opinions of urban planning experts as well as university professors. To evaluate the reliability of the questionnaires, the pre-test method and completing 30 questionnaires were used and the Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the main parts of the questionnaire was more than 0.7. The questionnaire is designed in three main parts. A completely randomized method was used to distribute and complete the questionnaires among the citizens, and the frequency distribution table, mean comparison test and exploratory factor analysis in SPSS software were used to analyze the collected data.Results and discussion:The results showed that among the three indicators of a happy city (Social, physical and economic indicators) The average of social index with the value of 3.124 was significantly higher than the average of base (number 3) and The average of two physical and economic indicators respectively with values of 2.608 and 2.587, Have been significantly lower than the baseline mean. The results of the survey showed the general condition of the city happy the average calculated with the value of 2.788 Has been significantly below average. Regarding the determinants of a happy city, the results showed Due to the four identified key factors, 61.956% of the variance of the dependent variable has been explained. These factors and the percentage of variance of their specific value in order of importance are: Physical stability (21.041), Socio-cultural sustainability (16.4), Economic Stability (13.151) and Environmental sustainability (11.356). The identified factors seem to be a subset of the macro factor "integrated and efficient urban management" and Promoting this factor, as the main source of most policies and planning, can have a significant impact on the realization of a happy city in the study area.Conclusion: The main reason for the unfavorable situation of Shad city in the study area can be attributed to the weakness of citizens in having economic and physical indicators. Accuracy in the nature of the factors identified as determinants of a happy city in the study area (physical stability, socio-cultural sustainability, economic sustainability and environmental sustainability) shows these factors are a subset and a function of a macro variable called "Integrated and efficient urban management" that can be directly and indirectly affecting the various dimensions of physical-physical, socio-cultural, economic and environmental development of Ravansar, in the promotion, development and prosperity of the happy city in the study area. In fact, integrated and efficient urban management is a major factor and the main link in the realization of a happy city in the study area and other similar urban spaces. Therefore, it is suggested that for the development and sustainability of a happy city and other new urban concepts, special attention and focus be paid to the issue of integrated and efficient urban management. Therefore, employing and using urban and regional planning specialists with experience and selecting specialized and committed councils, as well as the best experts at the top of urban management, is one of the operational and executive suggestions of the present study. Also, clarifying the performance of city managers and establishing interaction and two-way communication between citizens and city managers, can be effective in improving the level of happy city indicators in the study area. 

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