Investigating the role of social participation in the livability of cities (Case study: Zahedan city)

Subject Areas : Urban Futurology

Sadigheh Sargolzai ¹ , zohre hadyani ² , sajad ghasemi ³ , Diman kashefidust ⁴ , sajad poudineh ⁵

1 - a student phd geography and urban planning, University of Sistan and Baluchestan
2 - assistant professor of geography and urban planning, University of Sistan and Baluchestan
3 - a student phd geography and urban planning, University of Sistan and Baluchestan
4 - a student phd geography and urban planning, University of Sistan and Baluchestan
5 - Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Zahedan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Zahedan, Iran

Received: 2021-06-26 Accepted : 2021-11-04 Published : 2021-08-23

Keywords: Social capital, Zahedan City, Participation, Social Viability,

Abstract :

Viability refers to an urban system in which the social, physical, and mental health and quality of life of all its inhabitants are taken into consideration. On the other hand، the issue of citizen participation in the economic and social development of cities, has been considered in urban development studies and planning since several decades. Therefore, it will be a livable society that cares about the needs of the people of that society, respects their demands, and does not neglect the participation of citizens in the affairs of the city. The purpose of this article is to identify the relationship between social participation as one of the components of social capital and urban livability. To achieve this goal, a descriptive-analytical survey method has been used and to collect information, a researcher-made questionnaire has been applied. To analyze the research data, SPSS، GIS، super decision software has been used. The statistical population includes citizens of the five regions of Zahedan that 383 residents have been selected and studied by cluster sampling with systematic random sampling. The results of ranking the regions in livability indicators show that region 1 as a new region with a proportional distribution of land use and urban services، adequate access to educational and health services، security and urban environment is a relatively desirable region in Zahedan and region 3 with informal and turbulent housing texture is the most undesirable region in terms of social livability. The results of Pearson correlation coefficient test show high correlation between the components of social participation and the dimensions of social viability in the areas of Zahedan; this indicates that the more social participation among the citizens of Zahedan, the better the city is in terms of social viability.