Investigating the Role of Social Capital in Increasing Neighborhood Sustainability (Case study: Hesarak Neighborhood of Tehran)

The increasing growth of urbanization and the change in the nature and complexity of issues have led to the inefficiency of large-scale planning and management. This has made it even more apparent the need of paying attention to the lower levels and look from the bottom up in order to solve urban problems sustainably; because in the smallest urban unit, the neighborhood, the dimensions of life are more tangible and all-round and comprehensive attention seems inevitable. In this regard, attention to local capital in urban planning and design has found a special place. Therefore, understanding the mechanism and role of social capital to achieve the goal of downsizing tasks and delegating responsibilities to institutions, providing a basis for expanding social capital in order to increase social and cultural interactions and communication at the neighborhood level to help citizens achieve the sustainable development is one of the most important goals of the present study.

This is a descriptive-analytical study. In this regard, data analysis was performed by completing a questionnaire by 380 residents of Hesarak neighborhood, to measure the amount of social capital and neighborhood sustainability. For this purpose, first using the theoretical literature of the research, social capital indicators and neighborhood sustainability were determined, then to analyze the research data, Pearson correlation coefficient and regression statistical tests were used to test the research hypotheses.

The research findings indicate that there is a significant and positive relationship between neighborhood sustainability and social capital. In other words, social trust, social cohesion and social participation in the neighborhood increase the stability of the neighborhood. Discussion and

The results indicate that there is a direct and significant relationship between social capital and neighborhood sustainability. For this purpose, it is necessary to make the most of the talented and young forces to advance the development goals and to establish mutual relations with different networks and organizations and government organizations and individuals.