Explaining and evaluating the quality of citizens' public spaces (case study: mental health status of the elderly in Region 2 of Ardabil Municipality)

Yazdani, Mohammad Hassan; Saeidi Zaranji, Samira

Explaining and evaluating the quality of citizens' public spaces (case study: mental health status of the elderly in Region 2 of Ardabil Municipality)

Document Type : Extract article from research project

Authors

Mohammad Hassan Yazdani ¹

Samira Saeidi Zaranji ²

¹ Professor, Department of Geography, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran

² PhD in Geography and Urban Planning, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.

Abstract

Background and Objective: Simultaneously with the rapid growth of cities and their physical development, we sometimes witness the decline in the environmental quality of urban spaces, which has caused various crises in urban life. Today, urbanization problems include a wide range of psychological disorders such as: stress, aggression, irritability, depression, boredom, and physical complaints. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to explain the public spaces of the city and its role in the mental and psychological health of the citizens of Ardabil
.Methodology: The present study is applied in terms of its purpose, descriptive-analytical in nature, and documentary and survey in terms of data collection. In this study, two questionnaires (researcher-made and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire) were used to collect data The statistical population of the study was the elderly over 60 years of age living in District 2 of Ardabil, which numbered (10,885) people. Based on the Cochran formula, a sample size of 371 questionnaires was obtained. Structural equations and statistical tests were used in the SPSS and Smart PLS software environment to analyze the data and examine the relationship between urban environment quality factors and the mental health of the elderly.Based on the research findings,
Findings and Conclusion: the T-statistic for all variables is greater than (1.96) and is significant at a confidence level of (95.00). The AVE for the social participation variable is (801.00), transportation and access variable (821.00), outdoor space and public buildings (781.00), and safety and convenience (922.00). In relation to the answer to the research question, it can be said that there is a significant relationship between the quality of the city's public space and the mental health of the elderly in Region 2 of Ardabil. With the information collected in the research findings, it was determined that District 2 of Ardabil city is not suitable for the elderly in terms of most aspects of design and planning, such as social participation, access to public transportation and spaces, outdoor space and public buildings, and safety and convenience.

Keywords

Quality of space

Public space

mental health

Elderly city

Ardabil city

Subjects

Urban Management

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