نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
موضوعات
عنوان مقاله English
نویسندگان English
Introduction
The increase in urban population brings issues such as increased traffic density, air pollution, increased need for urban services, recreation, and other issues. In other words, cities face the challenge of maintaining the quality of urban life along with growth and development. On the other hand, in addition to the increase in population in cities, globalization has led to the dimming and blurring of cultural identity in cities. This is an issue, especially in historical towns. Because the loss of cultural identity in these cities can have inappropriate effects on historical and cultural values. The city of Isfahan, which is famous as a historical and cultural city at the world level, has also faced the problem of reducing the quality of urban life and the ambiguity of cultural identity. This issue is critical and necessary in the 3rd district of Isfahan City as a historical area with identity and historical values. However, the relationship between the quality of urban life and cultural identity in this district is unclear. Therefore, this research seeks to clarify the relationship between the quality of urban life and the cultural identity of the residents of District 3 of Isfahan City by using the structural equation model so that in addition to preserving and strengthening the cultural identity, the quality of urban life can also be improved.
Materials and Methods
This research is descriptive, analytical, and practical in terms of purpose. A library study, field survey, citizenship questionnaire distribution, and citizenship interview were used to collect data. The statistical population is residents of District 3 of Isfahan City, and to determine the sample size, Cochran’s formula was used with 95% confidence. Therefore, the sample size was determined to be 384. Separate questionnaires were designed and distributed for the two concepts of quality of urban life and cultural identity. 13 items were considered for the quality of urban life and 32 items for cultural identity in 5 dimensions of historical identity and customs - family and personal identity - religious identity - national identity - civilizational characteristics (language, science, art). In the present study, two hypotheses were proposed. The first hypothesis is the significant effect of cultural identity on the quality of urban life, and the second hypothesis is the considerable effect of the quality of urban life on cultural identity, which was investigated using Smart PLS software and designing the structural equations of the two hypotheses.
Findings
About the first hypothesis (meaningful effect of cultural identity on the quality of urban life), the value of R2 equal to 0.541 was obtained, which means the effect of cultural identity on the quality of urban life. On the other hand, the statistical results of F2 and the amount of direct effect showed that only two dimensions of cultural identity, including (historical identity and customs with F2 0.451 and direct effect 0.621) and (national identity with F2 0.109 and direct effect 0.420) have a significant effect on the quality of urban life. Still, the effect of other dimensions was not confirmed. Therefore, for the first hypothesis, the findings showed that cultural identity has a limited effect on the quality of urban life. About the second hypothesis (significant impact of quality of urban life on cultural identity), the findings showed that the quality of urban life significantly impacts cultural identity. The value of R2-F2 and the direct effect for four dimensions of cultural identity show a significant effect of the quality of urban life on the dimensions of cultural identity. In the following, after generalizing the results of the statistical sample to the entire community using the bootstrapping tool, the t-value also indicated the existence of a significant relationship between cultural identity and the quality of urban life in District 3 of Isfahan City.
Conclusion
The results of the structural equations showed that the quality of urban life significantly affects the four dimensions of historical identity and customs: family and personal identity, religious identity, and national identity. Therefore, the result of this research is that cultural identity can be preserved and strengthened by improving the quality of urban life. This result was also obtained for the 3rd district of Isfahan City, where physical changes, socioeconomic policies, and urban plans affect the formation of family and personal identity, religious identity, and national identity. The results of this research showed that in the 3rd district of Isfahan city, national identity and family and personal identity, due to the native context of the region and the presence of world-famous historical monuments, have the most significant impact on the quality of urban life. Therefore, suggestions were presented regarding urban transportation, event management, and the activation of historical and cultural potentials to improve the quality of urban life, considering the preservation and enhancement of cultural identity in the 3rd district of Isfahan City.
کلیدواژهها English
