The Role of Physical Factors in the Sociopetalness of Informal Settlements: The Case of Hesar-e Emam and Dizaj Neighborhoods in Hamedan

In informal settlements, social confusion and lack of social interaction is becoming characteristic of the inhabitants. Although research in this field has recognized informal settlements, the physical factors of social interaction in these neighborhoods have been widely neglected. Therefore, it is necessary to address the issue of organizing the physical aspects of public spaces and its influence on the attendance of people as well as on the improvement of social interaction. In so doing, we may prevent the inhabitants of these settlements from moving to other neighborhoods for spending their leisure time.
The present paper addresses this problem by comparing two informal settlements in Hamedan, i.e. Hesar-e Emam and Dizaj. It appears that, among the inhabitants of such settlements, sociopetalness is significantly correlated with physical factors of the environment. The methodology used is descriptive-analytical. The data were gathered by means of field work and analyzed in SPSS software by using independent t-test as well as simple linear regression. Afterward, the relationship among the physical variables of sociopetalness was studied. According to the findings, the physical situation of Hesar-e Emam is better than that of Dizaj. Also, physical factors such as elements of pause and stop as well as artistic signs of architecture and advertisement are conceived by people as the most influential factors in the sociopetalness of space.