Evaluation of the Role of Urban Social Resilience in Encountering the Consequences of War (Case Study: Ahvaz City)

Lotfalizadeh, ِDanial; Goodarzi, Majid; Soltani, Zahra

Evaluation of the Role of Urban Social Resilience in Encountering the Consequences of War (Case Study: Ahvaz City)

Document Type : Origional Article

Authors

ِDanial Lotfalizadeh ¹ ^¶

Majid Goodarzi ²

Zahra Soltani ²

¹ Graduate of Geography and Urban Planning, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran.

² Associate Professor, Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran.

Abstract

Background and Objective: Urban social resilience, as one of the key pillars of crisis management and sustainable development, has an inseparable link with the capacity of urban communities to endure, adapt, and return to a desired state in the face of external shocks. Meanwhile, the experience of war and its enduring consequences impose specific structural and social vulnerabilities on urban fabrics that require an approach beyond standard crisis management. This research was conducted with the aim of evaluating the role of social resilience in enhancing the capacity of Ahvaz city to confront the multi-dimensional consequences of war and analyzing the resilience capacities of residents in the face of these challenges.
Methodology: This research is applied in nature and follows a descriptive-analytical methodology with a quantitative approach. To achieve the research objectives and evaluate the role of social resilience in addressing the consequences of war in Ahvaz, the key variables were first extracted and organized into a conceptual model using documentary and library research. For this purpose, eight components were identified for "social resilience" (including social capital, social trust, participation and interaction, sense of belonging, social leadership, values and norms, knowledge and information, and collective efficacy) and three components for "post-war consequences" (including physical indicators, social-psychological impacts, and reconstruction status).
Results and Findings: Data analysis was conducted using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and the Partial Least Squares (PLS) approach via Smart-PLS software. The results demonstrate a favorable model fit in explaining the complex relationships between social resilience and post-war consequences in the city of Ahvaz. Structural analyses confirm that all hypotheses were significant at the 99% confidence level, indicating that social resilience plays a key role in mitigating the impacts of war. Components such as "collective participation," "local cohesion," and "community-based approaches to reconstruction" have the greatest impact on enhancing citizens' resilience. While validating the measurement instrument, these findings emphasize prioritizing justice in reconstruction to strengthen sustainable resilience in this metropolis.

Keywords

Resilience

Social Resilience

War

Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)

Ahvaz City

Subjects

Urban Planning

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