Assessing the Socioeconomic and Environmental Impacts of "Credits for Upgrading and Renovating of Rural Housing Plan" (Case study: Villages of Dowlatabad Rural District, Ravansar County)

One of the important plans implemented by the Islamic Revolution's Housing Foundation in villages of Iran is the "Credits for Upgrading and Renovating of Rural Houses Plan". The plan was started since 2005. Villages of Dowlatabad district in Ravansar county were one of the targets for the mentioned plan. By the early 2012, a total number of 246 rural residents had received "the End of Work" certificate in Dowlatabad district. But the plan was implemented without any social impact's assessment. Therefore, it carried out both positive and negative consequences, some of which had not ever been foreseen. The present study applied a qualitative method for assessing the social impacts of such a project during 2005 to 2011. Semi-structured interview method was used for data collection and we applied the grounded theory method to analyze the information. We also used a theoretical and purposive sampling method with a sample size of 22, as the result of theoretical saturation. To analyze the information and construct the grounded theory, we completed three stages of coding (open, axial, and selective). The results of the research are presented in the form of a model that includes conditions (causative, interventional, background), strategies and actions / interactions and consequences. The results of the research indicated that despite some positive outcomes of the plan, it has had some negative consequences and unpredictable functions such as ignoring the elderly, change of livelihood, and migration. Such consequences would somehow be prevented or mitigated if a social impact assessment of the plan was already carried out.