Capacity Building for Local Community Development; a Mechanism for Managing Social Harms and Strengthening Societal Security (Case Study: Tehran Metropolis)

The growth of unbridled urbanization due to migration to metropolitan areas in Iran has led to emergence ofsome sort of social rupture and loss of social rights, which has resulted in the spread of social harms in metropolises, especially in Tehran metropolis as the capital city of the country. The present study is aimed atdesigning a model for managing social harms through relying on the local community development approach and strengthening societal security in the Tehran metropolis. The research is ofprofound type in nature, and in terms of data collection the research is of non-experimental (descriptive) type.In terms of data analysis method, correlation and deductive method have been used for conducting the research. The sample size of the study (120 people) was selected from among 175 urban management experts in Tehran using Cochran's formula. The main data collection tool is a questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by the research committee and two methods of Cronbach's alpha and Bayesian estimation were used to measure its reliability. The minimum Cronbach's alpha coefficient was related to the socio-cultural component (0.78) and the minimum Bayesian estimate is related to the structural component (0.71) and the maximum estimate was related to the elements of the local community development capacity model, whose Cronbach's alpha is 0.95 and its Bayesian estimate is 0.85, and indicates the proper validity of the questionnaire. Research findings show most of the people surveyed (45.8%) believe that the existing capacities of local communities in Tehran are suitable for model of managing social harms. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the relevant relationships in the conceptual model. The results indicate that the most important components in the management of social harms in Tehran's neighborhoods are educational, infrastructural, economic, sociocultural and managerial-policy components. In order to improve social security,the concerned bodiesare required to prioritize the above-mentioned components in their community-oriented urban development programs.