Sense of Belonging to Living Environment and Women's Wellbeing

Although mega city of Tehran has been a leading city in research projects and implementation  of different socio- cultural urban programs, it  faces many inter-related problems in many areas, especially in its social fabrics. To cope with these problems, since 2007 urban regeneration  programs have been in order for ten years. The main objective of urban planners in carrying out  these programs is to move towards more desired social life in the region. Review of regeneration programs shows; planners have neglected the sense of belonging to the living environment and its impact on quality of life. While it is an important factor, which enhances interests to the community and affects  residents’ quality of life. The present paper aims at discussing factors affecting reduction of this sense in Harandi  neighborhood known as Darvaze Ghar in the region 12 of Tehran. This area experiences many problems, including loosing sense of belonging, which is considered a driving, force for social development. The research is conducted with quantitative and  qualitative methods. First; criterion of sense of  belonging to the living environment among women and men have been defined. Secondly,  quality of life’s patters in the period of 1390-1395  is described. Based on the findings, the most  important factors in reducing sense of belonging among men and women of Harandi are: presence of social deviances, illegal economic activities, and negligence of responsible organizations  to deliver improved services in the region. It is suggested that planners and urban managers should take into account women’s role in planning and implementation of the programs. Also  provision of security, accessibility of services in compliance with male and female residents’ life styles, assessment of the needs and social- economic empowerment of the population should  be included continuously in all programs.