Extended Abstract
Objectives and Background: In recent years, District 22 of Tehran has undergone significant transformations due to the city's expansion. Many residents from other areas have chosen this district as a preferable place to live, seeking distance from pollution. However, rapid development has brought numerous issues to the area, such as inadequate public transportation, high population density, density-selling violations, real estate speculation, uncontrolled construction, high-rise developments, water shortages, low service per capita service levels, limited access to central Tehran, a stagnant business environment, high migration rates, and weak social ties within newly developed communities. These challenges have progressively impacted the district's livability. Examining District 22’s development pattern over the past four decades reveals a marked inflation of decision-making processes, indicating a reliance more on market-driven growth than on sustainable urban planning models. As a result, car-oriented development has become the norm, exacerbating environmental and social problems. In light of this situation, the question of District 22's livability and its future is critical. Addressing this complexity requires adopting new, complementary paradigms and approaches—particularly those emphasizing human-centered urban development. The concept of the "human-centered city" offers a comprehensive framework to enhance livability and promote sustainable growth in District 22. This study thus assesses the livability status of District 22 using this approach, aiming to address urban challenges through sustainable, human-centered development strategies.
Methods: This research is applied in purpose and uses a descriptive-analytical approach in methodology. Data and information were collected through both bibliographic and field (questionnaire) methods. The statistical population includes the residents of the 12 neighborhoods within District 22 of Tehran metropolis, with a sample size of 383 individuals determined using Cochran’s formula at a 95% confidence level and assuming maximum heterogeneity (p = q = 0.5). A simple probabilistic sampling method, known for its scientific value, was applied to select the sample. The content and face validity of the questionnaire were confirmed by experts, and its reliability was calculated using Cronbach's alpha, resulting in a reliability score of 87%. Sampling was conducted in two stages. Initially, proportional allocation sampling was employed to distribute the sample across the target population, considering the overall characteristics and diversity of the study area. Accordingly, a percentage of questionnaires was assigned to each neighborhood in District 22 based on its population share. In the second stage, due to the complexity of the target population, random sampling was used to select residential units.Various conceptualizations of livability indicate that no universally accepted measurement approach exists. However, most studies focus on subjective livability perceptions, typically assessed through social surveys or questionnaires. In this study, the behavioral geography perspective was employed to evaluate the livability of Tehran's District 22 using a human-centered urban approach. Therefore, a researcher-made questionnaire was designed to measure residents' subjective perspectives across four main dimensions- economic, social, physical, and environmental- using 76 items. For data analysis, tests such as the Kolmogorov-Smirnov, one-sample T-test, ANOVA, and path analysis were conducted using SPSS software. Additionally, Shannon’s entropy and the MABAC (Multi-Attributive Border Approximation Area Comparison) model were used to rank the neighborhoods within District 22.
Findings: The results revealed that the status of this district concerning the studied subject is below average. The neighborhoods of Lake Shohadaye Khalij Fars (Persian Gulf), Golestan, and Zibadasht ranked first to third with the highest scores for livability under the human-centered city approach. Sharif, Havanirouz, Sarvazad, and Sharif neighborhoods ranked tenth to twelfth with the lowest scores for livability. Among livability dimensions, the greatest gap was observed in the physical aspect while the least gap was found in environmental aspects. Overall livability conditions across neighborhoods in District 22 were rated as average to poor: %16 were classified as acceptable clusters; 17% as tolerable; 25% as average; another %25 as poor; and 17% as unacceptable clusters.Based on these findings, it can be concluded that factors contributing to livability issues in District 22 stem from its continuous development without adequate attention to improving necessary amenities and services for residents. Studies indicate that this area has been significantly impacted by decision-making inflation that prioritizes market demand over logical planning aligned with sustainable urban development models—effectively placing control in the hands of land speculators rather than focusing on local services and amenities.This lack of facilities and supporting infrastructure has resulted in income and employment for many residents being located outside District 22. Additionally, economic sanctions have exacerbated financial burdens on families due to insufficient amenities (for instance, over 50 thousand educational trips are made daily from District 22 to Region 5). Consequently, economic participation rates in this district dropped from %39 in 2011 to %37.1 in 2016. The social fabric predominantly consists of middle-income groups engaged mainly in service-related occupations.
Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that the current urban sprawl and unbalanced growth in District 22 of Tehran do not align with the principles of human-centered cities, such as social cohesion, walkability, safety, neighborhood connections, and community spirituality. The development of new areas within the district (such as Sharif University Town, Sarv-e Azad, and Havanirouz) has largely prioritized vehicular traffic over urban plans, diminishing the region's social and human-centered urban identity. High rates of migration, poor connectivity between residents of high-rise complexes and surrounding neighborhoods, limited security infrastructure, and fragmented functional identities have led to decreased social cohesion and a decline in the quality of public spaces, especially in newly developed areas. Additionally, the incomplete spatial structure and reliance on highways hinder the formation of streets as social spaces, discouraging human presence and social interaction in these areas. For District 22 to evolve into a human-centered and livable area, it is essential to encourage active citizen involvement alongside urban planners and policymakers. Achieving livability with a human-centered approach requires optimizing various forms of social participation, a crucial element in building human-centered cities.