Assessment of livability in urban fabric: A comparative analysis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Livability, as a concept and approach, aims to reduce environmental, economic, and social problems in cities and communities based on their needs and capacities. This broad concept encompasses a variety of meanings in terms of physical, socio-cultural, economic, and enviro...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: A. Fouladi, E. Sherafati Moghaddam, Y. Gholami
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Municipality of Tehran 2025-04-01
Series:International Journal of Human Capital in Urban Management
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.ijhcum.net/article_718871_e99f0a173bc5a54b83e1cc9069f03c3b.pdf
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850198035831717888
author A. Fouladi
E. Sherafati Moghaddam
Y. Gholami
author_facet A. Fouladi
E. Sherafati Moghaddam
Y. Gholami
author_sort A. Fouladi
collection DOAJ
description BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Livability, as a concept and approach, aims to reduce environmental, economic, and social problems in cities and communities based on their needs and capacities. This broad concept encompasses a variety of meanings in terms of physical, socio-cultural, economic, and environmental dimensions, both subjectively and objectively. Therefore, ensuring livability standards in the urban fabric is of considerable importance and necessity. The present study seeks to provide a basic understanding of the livability status in the city of Kashan.METHODS: To achieve this goal, employing a library method and a researcher-made questionnaire tool, 384 residents from seven old and five new neighborhoods were evaluated using a stratified (simple random) sampling method. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software one-sample t-test analysis and structural equation modeling.FINDINGS: The results showed that the livability status in the new districts was better than the livability in the old ones. The findings reveal that overall livability in Kashan falls short of the desired average, with economic, cultural, and social aspects scoring the lowest. Environmental quality, on the other hand, was assessed as satisfactory. When comparing livability across old and new districts, the study found that newer districts have a higher overall livability compared to older ones. To further understand the factors influencing livability, the study prioritized the six dimensions of livability: infrastructure, politics, economy, environment, society, and culture. The economic factor emerged as the most influential, followed by social and infrastructural factors. Within the economic factor, job opportunities were identified as the most impactful aspect, while social cohesion and physical infrastructure held the greatest importance within the social and infrastructural factors, respectively.CONCLUSION: Importantly, the study highlights the role of effective urban management in enhancing livability, particularly in addressing economic disparities, fostering social inclusion, and improving infrastructure. Strategic interventions, such as targeted economic development policies, community engagement programs, and infrastructure investments, are essential for enhancing Kashan’s livability and quality of life.
format Article
id doaj-art-0bff1b6f5a914e588cef6d35d7497cef
institution OA Journals
issn 2476-4698
2476-4701
language English
publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher Municipality of Tehran
record_format Article
series International Journal of Human Capital in Urban Management
spelling doaj-art-0bff1b6f5a914e588cef6d35d7497cef2025-08-20T02:12:58ZengMunicipality of TehranInternational Journal of Human Capital in Urban Management2476-46982476-47012025-04-0110230131610.22034/IJHCUM.2025.02.07718871Assessment of livability in urban fabric: A comparative analysisA. Fouladi0E. Sherafati Moghaddam1Y. Gholami2Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Kashan University, Kashan, IranDepartment of Urban and Planning, Iran University of Science & Technology, Tehran, IranDepartment of Geography, Urban and Rural Planning, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, IranBACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Livability, as a concept and approach, aims to reduce environmental, economic, and social problems in cities and communities based on their needs and capacities. This broad concept encompasses a variety of meanings in terms of physical, socio-cultural, economic, and environmental dimensions, both subjectively and objectively. Therefore, ensuring livability standards in the urban fabric is of considerable importance and necessity. The present study seeks to provide a basic understanding of the livability status in the city of Kashan.METHODS: To achieve this goal, employing a library method and a researcher-made questionnaire tool, 384 residents from seven old and five new neighborhoods were evaluated using a stratified (simple random) sampling method. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software one-sample t-test analysis and structural equation modeling.FINDINGS: The results showed that the livability status in the new districts was better than the livability in the old ones. The findings reveal that overall livability in Kashan falls short of the desired average, with economic, cultural, and social aspects scoring the lowest. Environmental quality, on the other hand, was assessed as satisfactory. When comparing livability across old and new districts, the study found that newer districts have a higher overall livability compared to older ones. To further understand the factors influencing livability, the study prioritized the six dimensions of livability: infrastructure, politics, economy, environment, society, and culture. The economic factor emerged as the most influential, followed by social and infrastructural factors. Within the economic factor, job opportunities were identified as the most impactful aspect, while social cohesion and physical infrastructure held the greatest importance within the social and infrastructural factors, respectively.CONCLUSION: Importantly, the study highlights the role of effective urban management in enhancing livability, particularly in addressing economic disparities, fostering social inclusion, and improving infrastructure. Strategic interventions, such as targeted economic development policies, community engagement programs, and infrastructure investments, are essential for enhancing Kashan’s livability and quality of life.https://www.ijhcum.net/article_718871_e99f0a173bc5a54b83e1cc9069f03c3b.pdfkashan citylivabilitystructural equation modelingurban managementurban fabric
spellingShingle A. Fouladi
E. Sherafati Moghaddam
Y. Gholami
Assessment of livability in urban fabric: A comparative analysis
International Journal of Human Capital in Urban Management
kashan city
livability
structural equation modeling
urban management
urban fabric
title Assessment of livability in urban fabric: A comparative analysis
title_full Assessment of livability in urban fabric: A comparative analysis
title_fullStr Assessment of livability in urban fabric: A comparative analysis
title_full_unstemmed Assessment of livability in urban fabric: A comparative analysis
title_short Assessment of livability in urban fabric: A comparative analysis
title_sort assessment of livability in urban fabric a comparative analysis
topic kashan city
livability
structural equation modeling
urban management
urban fabric
url https://www.ijhcum.net/article_718871_e99f0a173bc5a54b83e1cc9069f03c3b.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT afouladi assessmentoflivabilityinurbanfabricacomparativeanalysis
AT esherafatimoghaddam assessmentoflivabilityinurbanfabricacomparativeanalysis
AT ygholami assessmentoflivabilityinurbanfabricacomparativeanalysis