Social innovation in urban public spaces: An analysis of urban management policies and actions in Ferdowsi Street, Sanandaj

Nasri, Arina; Habibi, Kyoumars; Saidi, Mehdi

doi:10.22034/uep.2026.591759.1955

Social innovation in urban public spaces: An analysis of urban management policies and actions in Ferdowsi Street, Sanandaj

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Arina Nasri ¹

Kyoumars Habibi ²

Mehdi Saidi ³

¹ PhD Candidate. Department of Urban Planning and Design, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran

² Professor. Department of Urban Planning and Design, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran

³ Assistant Professor. Department of Urban Planning and Design, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran

10.22034/uep.2026.591759.1955

Abstract

In recent years, urban public spaces have increasingly been regarded as potential arenas for social innovation; however, our empirical understanding of how these capacities are realized, particularly in non-Western contexts, remains limited. This study aims to identify and prioritize the factors influencing the role of urban public spaces in social innovation, with a special emphasis on analyzing urban management policies and actions, through a case study of Ferdowsi Street in Sanandaj. This scientific research introduces a validated quantitative model comprising six key mechanisms that enable social innovation within a pre-existing public space, an approach not previously tested empirically in the urban literature of developing countries. Adopting a quantitative approach and utilizing a questionnaire (validated through Delphi and Cronbach’s alpha), the study collected data from 142 key actors (urban managers, academics, artists, and NGO members). The data were analyzed using PLS-SEM, confirming a six-factor model: social dynamics (0.907), design innovations (0.846), managerial innovations (0.845), institutional-structural innovations (0.804), environmental innovations (0.789), and spatial sustainability innovations (0.385). Social dynamics, emphasizing spatial justice and inclusiveness, emerged as the strongest predictor. The theoretical contribution of this research is providing an analytical framework for urban policymakers in similar contexts, highlighting the primacy of social dynamics and introducing a new type of “soft space” emerging from lived experience, which underscores the key role of everyday interactions, feedback-driven design, and stakeholder participation in realizing social innovation. Urban public spaces become effective platforms for social innovation when they move beyond mere physical functions and become interactive ecosystems centered on stakeholder engagement and feedback-oriented design. The findings underscore the need to revise design and urban management policies toward participatory, inclusive approaches.

Keywords

Ferdowsi Street

Sanandaj

social innovation

urban management

urban public spaces

Subjects

Urban planning

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