Investigating the Social Network of Marginalized Residents in Ahvaz City and its Relationship with Rural Migration

Document Type : Origional Article

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

2 Department of Geography & Urban Planning, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz,Ahvaz, Iran

Abstract
Background and Objective: The expansion of rural migration to urban peripheries is a phenomenon profoundly influencing the social and spatial fabric of cities. This study investigates the relationship between social networks and rural migration, and its subsequent outcome: the formation of informal settlements on the outskirts of Ahvaz, Iran.
Methodology: Focusing on two neighborhoods, Goldasht and Golbahar, as primary destinations for rural migrants, this research employs a descriptive-analytical method. Data were collected via a researcher-administered questionnaire from 300 household heads and analyzed in SPSS using a one-sample t-test and the Friedman rank test.
Results and Findings: The results reveal that kinship relations, with a mean score of 3.02 (above the theoretical average), constituted the most significant network factor in migration decision-making and destination choice. Furthermore, economic factors, with a mean rank of 2.24, were identified as the primary driver for migration from rural areas. In contrast, the overall satisfaction of residents with their living conditions, averaging 2.99, fell below the median, indicating unsatisfactory circumstances in these settlements. In conclusion, the findings underscore the prominent role of social networks and economic pressures in shaping waves of rural migration. The low levels of resident satisfaction simultaneously highlight the persistent and serious challenges to quality of life within these informal urban settlements.

Keywords

Subjects


Bahmani, S. and Moltafet, H. (2020). The Narrative of emerging slum on the Body of a Metropolis, a Grounthed theory research. Sociology of Culture and Art2(3), 114-86. Doi:https://doi.org/10.34785/J016.2021.701
Bano, S., & Deshmukh, R. (2025). Urban realities: a zonal-level assessment of quality of life in Lucknow city’s slums based on access to amenities and proximity to services. City and Built Environment3(1), 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44213-025-00046-7
Blumenstock, J. E., Chi, G., & Tan, X. (2025). Migration and the value of social networks. Review of Economic Studies, 92(1), 97-128. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/restud/rdad113
Boyd, M. (1989). Family and personal networks in international migration: Recent developments and new agendas. International Migration Review, 23(3), 638–670. https://doi.org/10.1177/019791838902300313
Carrilho, J., & Trindade, J. (2022). Sustainability in peri-urban informal settlements: a review. Sustainability, 14(13), 7591. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su14137591
Cases, R. K. C. (2025). Persistent ties, evolving networks: Accounting for changes and stability in migrant support networks. International Migration, 63(2), e13286. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/imig.13286
Daripour, N., Firouzi, M. A. and Goodarzi, M. (2022). Analysis of the Causes of spatial Distribution Settlements Informal Neighborhoods Case study: Ahvaz neighborhoods. Sustainable city4(4), 53-72. Doi: 10.22034/jsc.2021.252467.1335
Dehcheshmeh, M. M., & Ghaedi, S. (2020). Climate change and ecological migration: a study of villages in the province of Khuzestan, Iran. Environmental Research, Engineering and Management, 76(1), 6-19. https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.2432
Dunwoodie, K., Webb, S., Wilkinson, J., & Newman, A. (2025). Social capital and the career adaptability of refugees. International Migration, 63(1), e12787. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/imig.12787
Ghasemi Seyani , M., Haghi, M., (2017). Expansion of urban poverty and informal settlements identification in terms of spatial justice (Case Study: Nasim shahr city), Journal ofof Regional Planning, 6, 24, 245-265. 20.1001.1.22516735.1395.6.24.19.3
Granovetter, M. S. (1973). The strength of weak ties. American Journal of Sociology, 78(6), 1360–1380. 7https://doi.org/10.1086/225469
Habibi, K., Arefi, M., Doostvandi, M., & Ashouri, K. (2022). Reproduction of urban informality in Iran: Its key factors, tools and challenges. Journal of Urban Management, 11(3), 381–391. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jum.2022.05.007
Kohlenberger, J. (2024). Social infrastructure for migrants and integration. In Handbook of Social Infrastructure (pp. 160-176). Edward Elgar Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.4337/9781800883130.00019
Lee, E. S. (1966). A theory of migration. Demography, 3(1), 47–57.        http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2060063
Lewis, G. J. (2021). Human migration: a geographical perspective. Routledge. http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781003183051
Light, I., Bhachu, P., & Karageorgis, S. (2017). Migration networks and immigrant entrepreneurship. In Immigration and entrepreneurship (pp. 25-50). Routledge. http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780203789056-2
 MalAmiri, N., Rashki, A., Al-Dousari, A., & Kaskaoutis, D. G. (2025). Socioeconomic and health impacts of dust storms in Southwest Iran. Atmosphere16(2), 159. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/atmos16020159
Mohamadi dehcheshme,M. , Ghaedi,S. and shanbehpoor,F. (2023). Modeling the structural consequences of climate change in the city of Ahvaz using the System Dynamic model. Scientific- Research Quarterly of Geographical Data (SEPEHR)31(124), 87-101. doi: 10.22131/sepehr.2023.551734.2863
Rahdar, A. (2024). Comparative analysis of quality of life indicators based on urban social justice, a case study of Zaytoun Karmanani and Koi Yousefi neighborhoods (Fatimia) in Ahvaz city.. Journal of Sustainable Urban & Regional Development Studies (JSURDS)5(1), 155-175.
Rezvani, M., Haraeen, M. , ghorbani sepehr,A. and amraie,M. (2021). Analysis of the social networks of rural migrants from urban peripheral settlements: A case study of Mortezagerd village in the metropolis of Tehran. Preipheral Urban Spaces Development2(2), 1-16. 20.1001.1.26764164.1399.2.2.1.0
Saberifar, R. and Eftekhar,R. (2026). Determining strategies for organizing marginalized areas and implementing them in the form of mathematical reconstruction (case study of Qanat Naseri neighborhood in Arak city). Journal of Sustainable Urban & Regional Development Studies (JSURDS)7(1), 73-90.
Sarfi, M., Sarfi, T., Aris, S., Zohouri, M., & Aeini, B. (2023). Religion and migration: An Iranian survey. Migration Letters, 20(S4), 470-480. https://doi.org/10.59670/ml.v20iS4.3871
Sharafi, M., Saidi, A. and Rahmani, B. (2022). The position of rural-urban relations in the physical-spatial transformation of villages in the central part of Ahvaz city(Khuzestan). Geography20(73), 1-17. http://dor.net/dor/20.1001.1.27833739.1401.20.73.1.9
Strang, A. B., & Quinn, N. (2021). Integration or isolation? Refugees’ social connections and wellbeing. Journal of Refugee Studies, 34(1), 328-353. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jrs/fez040
Todaro, M. P. (1969). A model of labor migration and urban unemployment in less developed countries. The American Economic Review, 59(1), 138–148. http://dx.doi.org/10.4337/9781035362813.00009
UN-Habitat. (2015). Habitat III issue papers 22—Informal settlements. United Nations. https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/download-manager-files/Habitat-III-Issue-Paper-Informal-Settlements_2.0.pdf
UN-Habitat. (2020). World Cities Report 2020: The Value of Sustainable Urbanization. United Nations Human Settlements Programme.
 UN-Habitat. (2022). World Cities Report 2022: Envisaging the Future of Cities. United Nations Human Settlements Programme. 
Volume 7, Issue 1 - Serial Number 23
Winter 2026
Pages 394-404

  • Receive Date 31 August 2025
  • Revise Date 19 November 2025
  • Accept Date 05 December 2025
  • First Publish Date 07 December 2025
  • Publish Date 22 May 2026