Background and Objective: Climate change increasingly exacerbates socio-ecological and spatial vulnerabilities across urban areas globally. Transitioning toward climate-resilient and sustainable cities fundamentally necessitates active citizen engagement grounded in accurate, locally rooted climate risk perceptions. Accordingly, this study aimed to explain and evaluate urban sustainability based on citizens’ perceptions of climate change in Mahdasht, an expanding peri-urban center situated within the Karaj metropolitan region.

Methodology: Employing an applied, descriptive-analytical, and field-survey design, empirical data were gathered from a stratified random sample of 301 permanent residents across two socio-spatially distinct urban fabrics: the “indigenous/central core” and the “newly built Mehr Housing development.” A structured, validated Likert-scale questionnaire with high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α>0.7) was utilized. Data processing was conducted via Pearson correlation, multiple linear regression, and independent-samples t-tests using SPSS software.

Results and Findings: The empirical findings revealed that although overall climate change perception surpassed the theoretical baseline, key sustainability dimensions—specifically the economic (M=2.49) and physical-environmental (M=2.76) dimensions—were evaluated unfavorably. Furthermore, perceptual components significantly predicted urban sustainability, with citizens’ “lived experience” emerging as the most potent negative predictor (β=−0.271,p<0.01). While overall climate perception exhibited no significant spatial divergence between the two settlements, residents of the central traditional fabric rated urban sustainability—most notably its social dimension—significantly higher than those in the Mehr Housing development.
Conclusion: Fostering long-term urban sustainability requires integrating local perceptual assessments and socio-spatial disparities into bottom-up adaptation strategies. Policymakers should bridge infrastructural deficits in peripheral public housing while institutionalizing participatory planning mechanisms.