Social Capital and Urban Development: Case Study of Mahalat

Using Social capital as a theoretical perspective and paradigm for sociological research is not a new idea. For at least fifty years scholars have recognized the role of social capital and it's structural, relational and cognitive components in individual and social development. The present article has been prepared based on some part of the information obtained from the sociological study of the role of social capital in the urban and community development of Mahalat. Research is carried out by a survey method through a quesionuaire which was conducted on 384 residents of Mahalat at the age of 16 and above as a statistical sample, using random sampling technique. Based on the empirical evidence and research findings it was observed that social capital and some of it's components, including social trust, social participation and degree of religiosity is significantly associated with urban and community development of Mahalat. Nevertheless, the findings did not support the hypothesis that these is a significant association between social integration and communal cohesion as one of the components of social capital and urban development of Mahalat.