Analysis of Urban Livability from the Socio-Cultural Perspective in the Neighborhoods of Bonab City with an Emphasis on the Spatial Duality of Livability in Urban Fabrics

Niknam, Ayoub; Ghafari Gilandeh, Ata; Mohamadi, Alireza; Rahmati, Mansour

Analysis of Urban Livability from the Socio-Cultural Perspective in the Neighborhoods of Bonab City with an Emphasis on the Spatial Duality of Livability in Urban Fabrics

Document Type : Article extracted from thesis

Authors

Ayoub Niknam ¹

Ata Ghafari Gilandeh ²

Alireza Mohamadi ³

Mansour Rahmati ⁴

¹ PhD student, Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.

² Professor of Geography and Urban and rural Planning, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.

³ Professor of Geography and Urban and rural Planning, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran

⁴ Assistant Professor of Geography and Urban and rural Planning, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.

Abstract

Background and Objective: Rapid urbanization and growing socio-economic inequalities in medium-sized Iranian cities like Bonab have led to spatial duality and reduced urban livability. This study aims to evaluate the factors affecting socio-cultural livability disparities in neighborhoods located within two distinct zones of Bonab: the worn-out texture–informal settlements (south and southeast) and the non-worn-out texture (central and northern) areas.
Methodology: This descriptive-analytical and exploratory study utilized data gathered through field questionnaires and documentary sources. The sample size was determined using Cochran’s formula. Data normality was tested using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Statistical analyses, including one-sample t-tests and one-way ANOVA, were conducted using SPSS software, while GIS was employed to map the spatial distribution of the data.
Findings and Results: TheThe results revealed that the average socio-cultural index in the non-worn-out texture zone (mean: 3/47) was significantly higher than that in the worn-out texture–informal settlements zone (mean: 2/98). Only a few worn-out neighborhoods exhibited relatively favorable conditions. Spatial analysis further demonstrated a declining trend in livability quality from central and northern areas toward the southern and southeastern neighborhoods. According to ANOVA, the most influential factors affecting livability were security (determination coefficient: 0/740), health quality (0/694), and education quality (0/682). Additionally, the uneven distribution of educational, cultural, and recreational centers within the worn-out zone has intensified livability inequalities.

Keywords

Urban Livability

Spatial Duality

Worn-out Fabric

Informal Settlements

Bonab City

Subjects

Urban Planning

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