Urban Economics and Planning

Urban Economics and Planning

Investigating and Evaluating the Livability Status of Worn-Out Neighborhoods in Behbahan City with a Future Research Approach

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Saeed Amanpour 1
Eghbal Nasiri Barm Elvan 2
1 Professor of Geography and Urban Planning Department, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
2 PhD candidate in geography and urban planning, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
10.22034/uep.2024.458512.1490
Abstract
Introduction 
Today, with the urbanization of the world’s population and the globalization of cities, urban planning and citizenship have become the most important issues affecting the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of human life and citizens expect higher standards from the urban environment in which they live. Therefore, paying attention to the new theories of urban planning, each of which aims to solve urban problems, improve the quality of life in cities, improve the quality of the city environment, and urban management, and lead to more favorable urban development. Among the new theories of urban development, a livable city is considered a guide for having a desirable and sustainable urban environment, while posing an obvious problem [2]. One of the important aspects of cities, which is both the cause and the effect of many urban problems, is the worn-out urban tissues. The nature of the worn texture, any disregard for it invalidates it in various ways. Because in terms of culture, it is the origin of today’s city and a relic of the previous culture and history, and from a social point of view, in case of abandonment and disproportionate uses, it is a part of society and a guarantor of human life. Physically, despite all the wear and tear, it still has a unique architectural and urban planning value [4]. It is worth noting that the current academic studies of the last five years in the field of livability in our country have mostly focused on rural areas and big cities. And the areas of worn tissues are less considered. This is because today such structures are the root of many pressures and contradictions on the way of development; So that they are not very compatible with the economic and social conditions of today and do not have proper access to today’s living standards, lack of vitality and unlivability is one of their basic and major problems. Behbahan city, centered in Behbahan city, is one of the oldest cities in Khuzestan province which is located at a distance of 205 km from Ahvaz city. Due to facing the rapid modernization process, this city has suffered the inefficiency and exhaustion of its tissues, and since the dilapidated structures of Behbahan city are located in the center of the city, they suffer from issues such as physical and spatial problems, inadequacies of the access and service network, low users per capita, and the lack of necessary and suitable services and facilities for citizens. The dilapidated houses of these neighborhoods do not have parking spaces, and on the other hand, there is no possibility of car traffic in the narrow streets and stepped alleys of these neighborhoods. As a result, finding a parking space in the streets of these neighborhoods has become a difficult and time-consuming task, and usually due to the inappropriate access for emergency vehicles, it has become the basis for unfortunate events for residents. Therefore, making these dilapidated urban tissues livable has a double necessity and importance, and with this, the features of the economic, social, and environmental status of an area are revealed, and it can also be used as a powerful tool to monitor the program. Planning urban development and designing future policies for these areas should be used.
Materials and Methods
According to the research problem, the current research method is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-analytical in terms of nature and method. In this research, to provide the theoretical foundations and obtain the required information in the field of recognizing the indicators of viability in worn tissues, the method of collecting documentary and library information was used, and the tools of data collection are interviews and questionnaires. The statistical population of the research is made up of city managers and academic experts with opinions in the field of urban planning. The selection criteria of managers and experts are theoretical mastery, practical experience, desire, and ability to participate in research and access. In this research, the judgmental sampling method was used and the face validity of the questionnaire was also confirmed by experts. At this stage, 35 indicators affecting the livability of the dilapidated fabric of Behbahan City were identified by asking the opinions of city managers and academic elites. Then, the internal relationships between them are investigated using the MICMAC interpretive structural analysis model and the type of variables is determined according to the influence and effectiveness of other variables. Finally, the existing problems of the worn-out fabric of Behbahan city are ranked based on the SAW model.
Findings
Among the 35 driving forces, 8 driving forces have a key effect on the future condition of the livability of worn-out tissues of Behbahan city. The willingness of residents to invest in the worn-out fabric, the level of satisfaction of the residents with the facilities and facilities of the worn-out fabric, the opportunity to generate income in the worn-out fabric, the favorable quality of the image, and the view of the city in the area of the fabric, the extent of the residents’ willingness to live in the worn-out fabric, the level of access to public services and Urban infrastructures, the desire of the private sector to invest in worn-out fabric, and public access to green spaces are among the key drivers for the viability of these fabrics. In terms of systemic performance, these forces play the role of high impact and low impact in the system environment to improve the quality of the urban environment, and as a result, they are considered the most effective and key drivers. The investigation and ranking of the reasons for the wear and tear of the worn fabric of Behbahan city (from the most acute problem to the bottom) according to the SAW model according to Table (9) is as follows: 1- Lack and inefficiency of urban services 2- Lack of suitable infrastructure facilities 3- Lack of leisure facilities 4- Lack of proper access (inefficient roads) 5- Environmental problems 6- Lack of per capita needs of users 7- Problems Functional 8- Weak cooperation of institutions and inappropriate management 9- Lack of social security.
Conclusion
The analysis of these drivers shows that residents’ willingness to invest in the worn-out fabric, residents’ satisfaction with the fabric’s facilities and facilities, the opportunity to generate income in the fabric, the quality of the city’s image and landscape, the residents’ desire to live in the worn-out fabric, access to public services and urban infrastructure, the desire The private sector investing in worn-out fabric, and public access to green space, all have an impact on the future viability of worn-out fabrics in Behbahan. Therefore, the physical sub-index has a greater contribution in affecting the livability of the worn-out tissue of Behbahan city.
Keywords
Behbahan City
Livability
MICMAC Model
SAW Model
Worn Texture

Subjects

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Urban Economics and Planning
Volume 5, Issue 1
Winter 2024
Pages 138-153

  • Receive Date 06 June 2024
  • Revise Date 20 June 2024
  • Accept Date 24 June 2024