Measuring and evaluating the state of urban sustainability from the perspective of citizens (case study: Lordegan city)

Abstract:

Urban sustainability is closely related to sustainable urban development. What matters in urban sustainability is the continuity of citizens’ daily lives along with social growth and welfare, such that with maximum welfare, the urban environment is not harmed. Unfortunately, urban development in the past few decades has caused irreparable damage to the environment. The present study was conducted with the aim of measuring and evaluating the status of urban sustainability from the citizens’ perspective inLordegan city. This research is applied in terms of objective and descriptive-analytical in terms of methodology. The statistical population of the research includes 40,528 citizens of Lordegan city, from whom 400 people were randomly selected as samples. The data collection tool was a questionnaire, and the analysis tool in the descriptive section included tables, charts, and central indicators such as mean and standard deviation. In the inferential section, independent samples t-test, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analyses were used with the help of SPSS, AMOS, and ArcGIS software. The research findings provide a clear picture of the unsustainable situation of Lordegan city from the citizens’ point of view. The results of theindependent samples t-test for all five hypotheses (physical, economic, socio-cultural, environmental, and urban governance) showed that the mean of all indicators is significantly lower than the average level (3). In the physical dimension, the overall mean of 2.25 indicates an unfavorable situation and weaknesses in items such as the desirability of public parking, protection of historical facades, and public transportation. The economic dimension with an overall mean of 1.91 is one of the most critical situations, while the social dimension with a mean of 2.11 is also not considered desirable. The environmental dimension with a mean of 2.32 indicates its unfavorable situation, and the governance dimension with a mean of 1.90 has the weakest performance among all dimensions. Factor analysis results also indicate that the socio-cultural dimension with a factor loading of 0.97 has the greatest direct impact on the urban sustainability of Lordegan, followed by theenvironmental (0.88), governance (0.87), and then physical and economic dimensions (0.85) in the subsequent ranks. General Conclusion: The research results showed that the status of urban sustainability in Lordegan is below the desirable level in all dimensions, and the most significant challenge is observed in the field of urban governance.